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COMMEMORATIVE 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


OK    THE- 


UPP§R    WISCONSIN 


COUNTIES   OI 


Waupaca,   Portage,   Wood,   Marathon,   Lincoln,  Oneida, 
Vilas,  Langlade  and  Shawano, 


CONTAININC. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    OF    PROMINENT    AND    REPRESENTATIVE 
CITIZENS.  AND  OF  MANY  OF  THE  EARLY  SETTLED  FAMILIES. 


-ILLLJSTRATEn- 


CHIC.VGO: 

J.  H.  BEERS  .t  CO. 
1895. 


I   THE  PRESS  OF  WILSON,  HL'MPHRYES  &  CO., 
FOURTH  ST.,  LOGANSPORT,  IND. 


i»"5i- 


If 


PREKACE. 


THE  importance  of  placing  in  book  form  biographical  history  of  representative  citi- 
zens— both  for  its  immediate  worth  and  for  its  value  to  coming  generations — is 
admitted  by  all  thinking  people;  and  within  the  past  decade  there  has  been  a 
growing  interest  in  this  commendable  means  of  perpetuating  biography  and  family 
genealogy. 

That  the  public  is  entitled  to  the  privileges  afforded  by  a  work  of  this  nature  needs  no 
assertion  at  our  hands;  for  one  of  our  greatest  Americans  has  said  that  the  history  of  an\- 
country  resolves  itself  into  the  biographies  of  its  stout,  earnest  and  representati\'e  citizens. 
This  medium,  then,  serves  more  than  a  single  purpose:  while  it  perpetuates  biography  and 
famil\-  genealogy,  it  records  history,  nuich  of  which  would  be  preserved  in  no  other  way. 
In  presenting  the  Commemorative  Biographical  Record  to  its  patrons,  the  publish- 
ers ha\  i  to  acknowledge,  with  gratitude,  the  encouragement  and  support  their  enterprise 
has  received,  and  the  willing  assistance  rendered  in  enabling  them  to  surmount  the  many 
unforeseen  obstacles  to  be  met  with  in  the  production  of  a  work  o(  this  character.  In 
nearh'  everv  instance  the  material  romposiug  the  sketches  was  gathered  froiii  those  im- 
mediately interested,  and  then  submitted  in  type-written  form  for  correction  and  revision. 
The  volume,  which  is  one  of  generous  amplitude,  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  public  with 
the  belief  that  it  will  be  found  a  valuable  addition  to  the  library,  as  well  as  an  invaluable 
contribution  to  the  historical  literature  of  Wisconsin. 

thp:  publisher.s. 


\*f: 


> 


VrH-ri- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


OVERNOR  WILLIAM 
H.  UPHAM.  In  trans- 
mitting to  posterity  rec- 
ords of  distinguished  men 
of  the  present  day,  into 
the  minds  of  the  youth 
of  our  land  will  be  in- 
stilled the  important  les- 
son that  honor  and  sta- 
tion are  the  sure  reward  of  merit,  and  that, 
compared  to  habits  of  industry,  persever- 
ance, probity  and  integrity,  the  greatest 
fortune  would  be  but  a  poor  inheritance. 
The  life  of  the  gentleman,  of  whom  we  now 
write,  is  a  worthy  example  and  model  to  any 
generation,  and  the  high  dignity  to  which  he 
has  attained  is  evidence  in  itself  that  the 
qualities  above  enumerated  afford  the  means 
of  distinction  under  a  system  of  government 
in  which  the  places  of  honor  are  open  to  all 
who  may  be  found  worthy  of  them. 

Governor  Upham  is  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, born  in  Westminster  May  3,  1841, 
of  English  descent,  tracing  his  ancestry  to 
John  Upham,  who  was  born  in  Somerset- 
shire, England,  and  in  1635  came  from  Eng- 
land with  the  Hull  Colony,  who  landed  on  the 
shores  of  America  May  16,  settling  in  the 
then  young  Colony  of  Massachusetts,  making 
their  first  New-World  home  at  Weymouth. 
From  this  John   Upham  sprung  all  the  Up- 


hams  in  America,  and  in  direct  line  to  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  his  descendants  were 
Phineas,  John,  Samuel,  Jonathan,  Alvin 
and  William  H.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years 
the  last  named,  now  the  Governor  of  Wis- 
consin, accompanied  his  parents  from 
Massachusetts  to  Niles,  Mich.,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  father  he  and  his  widowed 
mother  came,  in  .1853,  to  Wisconsin,  tak- 
ing up  their  residence  in  Racine,  where  the 
lad  resumed  his  studies,  his  elementarj' 
education  having  been  received  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town  and  Niles. 
In  1 86 1,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion,  Mr.  Upham  enlisted  in 
the  Belle  City  Rifles,  which  became  Com- 
pany F,  Second  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and 
with  his  regiment  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run  July  21,  1861,  during  which  en- 
gagement he  was  shot  through  the  lungs, 
and  left  on  the  battlefield  for  dead.  News 
of  his  death  was  sent  to  his  home,  and  he 
was  mourned  alike  by  relatives  and  friends, 
the  newspapers  publishing  long  eulogies 
about  him,  while  Rev.  Hutchins,  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  Racine,  preached  a 
most  eloquent  and  impressive  funeral  ser- 
mon, highly  laudatory  of  the  (supposed) 
deceased's  character  and  career.  This  ser- 
mon was  printed  in  full  in  one  of  the  local  pa- 
pers, and  a  copy  of  same  now  occupies  a  con- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPUICAL    RECORD. 


spicuous  place  in  the  Governor's  scrap  book 
— a  memento  of  the  stirring  war  times,  and 
a  testimonial  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held,  even  in  his  boyhood,  by  those  who 
knew  him  well. 

Some  seven  months  afterward  the  lost 
one  was  found  in  one  of  the  Southern  pris- 
ons, where  he  had  passed  the  long  interval, 
far  from  pleasantly,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
add,  but,  fortunately,  recovering  from  his 
apparently  fatal  wound.  From  the  battle- 
field he  had  been  taken  to  Libby  prison, 
where  he  was  confined  over  half  a  year, 
when  he  was  paroled,  and  after  his  release 
he  reported  at  Washington.  President  Lin- 
coln, thinking  it  probable  that  he  could  get 
from  the  young  soldier  some  valuable  infor- 
mation relative  to  Confederate  affairs,  sent 
for  him,  and  was  so  favorably  impressed 
with  his  appearance  and  manly  bearing  that 
he  used  his  personal  influence  to  secure  for 
Mr.  Upham  a  long-coveted  position  as  cadet 
at  West  Point,  where  he  followed  the  pres- 
cribed course  of  studj-.  This  was  in  1862, 
and  in  the  class  of  1866  he  graduated, 
after  which,  June  18,  same  year,  he  was 
commissioned  second  lieutenant  in  the  artil- 
lery service,  U.  S.  Army,  his  first  duty  be- 
ing to  act  as  officer  of  the  guard  to  Jeffer- 
son Davis,  who  at  that  time  was  a  prisoner 
in  Fortress  Monroe.  On  March  4,  1869, 
Second-Lieut.  Upham  was  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant,  and  November  18  he  resigned 
his  commission,  returned  to  Wisconsin,  and 
at  once  commenced  to  devote  his  energies 
to  the  development  of  extensive  enterprises 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  He  first 
located  at  Kewaunee,  Wis.,  in  1869,  moved 
to  Angelica,  Wis.,  in  1871,  and  went 
to  Marshfield,  Wis.,  in  1879,  the  year  in 
which  it  was  platted,  and  here  built  a  saw 
and  shingle  mill,  becoming  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  place.  The 
citizens  of  to-day  claim  that  Marshfield 
owes  everything  to  Gov.  Upham's  indomi- 
table will  power,  enterprise  and  public- 
spiritedness,  and  that  he  may  be  truthfully 
called  the  founder  of  the  town.  In  addi- 
tion to  being  identified  with  extensive  lum- 
ber interests.  Gov.  Upham  is  also  president 
of  the  Upham  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Marsh- 
field,   the    plant    of  which  comprises  a  saw- 


mill, shingle-mill  and  gristmill,  furniture 
factory,  veneer  works  and  machine  shops, 
employment  being  given  to  some  400  hands. 
The  product  of  the  concern  is  shipped  to  all 
points  of  the  compass — to  San  Francisco, 
Portland,  Boston,  New  York  and  Chicago, 
as  well  as  to  London,  Glasgow  and  other 
European  cities.  The  company  also  operates 
one  of  the  largest  general  retail  stores  to  be 
found  in  the  West.  Governor  Upham  served 
as  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Marshfield,  but  resigned  that  position  up- 
on being  elected  Governor  of  Wisconsin. 
On  June  2,  1887,  Marshfield  was  almost 
totally  destroyed  by  fire,  and  brought  des- 
pair to  the  hearts  of  its  residents;  but 
Major  Upham,  though  the  heaviest  loser  by 
the  dire  catastrophe,  with  characteristic 
pluck  and  energy  announced  to  the  people 
his  determination  to  rebuild  the  cit}'.  By 
January  i,  1888,  less  than  seven  months 
from  the  time  the  scene  was  one  of  smok- 
ing blackened  ruins,  sixth-two  substantial 
brick  blocks  were  erected  and  occupied. 
Major  Upham  at  once  establishing  many  of 
the  enterprises  before  referred  to,  and 
through  his  efforts  Marshfield  has  been  made 
one  of  the  thriving  and  rapidly  developing 
cities  of  northern  Wisconsin. 

Governor  Upham  has  ever  been  fore- 
most in  anything  he  has  undertaken.  He 
was  first  to  enlist  in  the  Belle  City  Rifles, 
and  was  the  first  private  soldier  appointed 
to  West  Point.  In  military  affairs  he  has 
ever  continued  his  interest,  and  is  a  member 
of  both  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Flepublic,  and  was  elected 
State  Commander  of  the  latter  for  the  De- 
partment of  Wisconsin.  He  served  on  the 
staff  of  Department  Commander  Lucius 
Fairchild,  as  aid-de-camp,  with  the  rank 
of  major,  and  was  appointed  by  President 
Arthur  on  the  board  of  visitors  to  the 
Naval  Academy  at  i\nnapolis,  Md.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  has 
used  all  legitimate  means  to  aid  this  party 
in  its  campaigns.  His  true  worth,  personal 
magnetism,  honorable  record  and  executive 
ability,  added  to  his  personal  popularity, 
forced  the  attention  of  the  people  of  his 
State  upon  him  as  an  available  candidate 
for  the  Governorship.    He  announced  himself 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOaRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


as  a  candidate  before  the  Republican  State 
Convention,  held  in  Milwaukee  July  25-26, 
1894.  There  were  eleven  candidates  before 
the  convention,  and  although  the  votes  were 
distributed  among  the  candidates  Major 
Upham  from  the  first  ballot  led  all  competi- 
tors. The  political  battle  of  1894  will  long 
be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  desper- 
ately fought  campaigns  in  the  history  of  our 
country.  A  reunited  Republican  party 
challenged  its  opponents  to  battle  upon  is- 
sues of  national  importance,  and  upon  the 
past  and  present  actions  of  the  Democracy. 
Being  unable  to  boldly  face  the  issues  ad- 
vanced by  their  opponents,  the  Democrats 
in  various  sections  resorted  to  personal  abuse 
of  candidates,  and  desired  by  such  means 
to  nullify  as  nearly  as  possible  the  disgust 
and  distrust  of  the  masses.  In  Wisconsin 
they  began  to  abuse  Major  Upham  by  de- 
claring that  he  forced  his  employes  to  accept 
coupons,  or  company  orders,  redeemable  in 
merchandise  at  the  company's  store  instead 
of  cash.  Although  it  was  proved,  by  affi- 
davits of  workmen  who  had  been  employed 
for  many  years,  that  these  assertions  were 
false,  the  Democratic  leaders  kept  up  the 
cry,  and  by  persistent  repetitions  so  disgust- 
ed fair-minded  men,  irrespective  of  party 
affiliations,  that  many  of  the  opposition 
displayed  the  American  love  for  fair  play 
and  cast  their  ballots  for  Major  Upham. 

The  Republican  victory  in  1 894  will  be 
cited  for  many  generations  as  the  greatest 
political  contest  of  the  century.  Major  Up- 
ham and  his  associates  placed  Wisconsin 
among  the  banner  States.  In  1890  his 
Democratic  opponent,  Hon.  George  W. 
Peck,  defeated  Hon.  W.  D.  Hoard  by  a 
plurality  of  28,320.  In  1892  Hon.  John  C. 
Spooner,  after  a  most  victorous  campaign, 
was  defeated  by  Governor  Peck  by  7,707 
votes.  In  1 894  Major  Upham  defeated  the 
twice-successful  Democratic  Governor,  by  a 
plurality  of  53,900,  the  largest  plurality  ever 
given  a  gubernatorial  candidate  in  Wiscon- 
-sin.  Although  delighted  with  the  returns 
from  the  State,  Major  Upham  was  probably 
more  gratified  with  the  esteem  and  admira- 
tion displayed  by  his  fellow  townsmen  by 
their  \-otes.  In  1892  Wood  county,  in 
which    Marshfield    is   located,   gave    Peck  a 


plurality  of  441.  In  1894  Major  Upham 
carried  the  county  over  Peck  by  i,  123.  The 
appreciation  in  which  he  is  held  by  the 
people  of  Marshfield,  and  his  high  standing 
in  the  community  are  well  exemplified  bythe 
fact  that,  though  the  city  is  Democratic,  he 
received  in  this  contest  a  majority  of  some 
400.  Although  Major  Upham  received 
many  congratulatory  messages  after  his  nomi- 
nation and  election  to  the  highest  honors 
within  the  gift  of  the  State  of  his  adoption, 
none  gave  him  as  much  genuine  pleasure  as 
the  following  resolutions  from  the  citizens  of 
the  village  in  which  he  was  born: 

The  Republicans  of  Westminster.  Massachu- 
setts,  in  public    meeting-    assembled    on    the   20th 
inst.,  rejoicing-  over  the  recent  victory  won  within 
the  borders  of  our  own  State,  also  feel  a  just  pride 
in  the  elevation  and  prosperity  of   all   the   native 
sons  of   Westminster,  althoug-h  long  removed  from 
her  limits,  unanimously  voted  to  send  greeting-  to 
you,  and  extend  congratulations  for  your  success 
and    elevation    as   Governor   of    Wisconsin,    your 
adopted  State,  believing;  that  the  Republican  prin- 
ciples for  which  you  stand,  when  put  in  operation, 
will  not  only  promote  the  interests  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  your  State,  but  will  also  restore  confidence 
with  all  the  people,    and   eventually   bring-  happi- 
ness and  prosperity  throughout  the  whole  countrj'. 
S.  D.  SiMONDS,  President, 
Republican  Club  of  Westminster. 
H.  J.  P.\HTKii)GE,  Secretary. 
Westminster.  Mass..  November  22",  1894. 
To  William  H.  Upham,  Marshfield,  Wisconsin. 

The  7th  day  of  January,  1895,  stands  as 
the  date  of  inauguration  into  his  high  office. 
His  ripe  experience  as  a  man  of  business  will 
enable  him  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the 
Commonwealth  upon  sound  business  princi- 
ples, and  his  undoubted  integrity  and  strong 
individuality  assure  the  citizens  of  the  State 
that  he  will  control  all  branches  of  the  gov- 
ernment, uninfluenced  by  professional  politi- 
cians or  unpatriotic  advisers. 

On  December  19,  1867,  Gov.  Upham 
was  married  at  Racine,  Wis.,  to  Miss  Mary 
C.  Kelley,  who  is  descended  from  Quaker 
ancestry,  and  two  daughters  have  blessed 
their  union,  nHincly:  Elsie,  wife  of  E.  E. 
Finney,  a  merchant  of  Marshfield,  and  Car- 
rie, living  at  home.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Marshfield,  in  which  Mrs.  Upham,  whose 
name  is  the  .synonym  for  noble  and  generous 
deeds,  is  an  active  worker.  In  the  quietude 
of  his  elegant  home  Governor  Upham  e.\- 
changes  the  exciting  scenes  of  political  and 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


business  turmoil  for  peaceful  retirement  in 
comfort,  mayhap  to  ruminate  on  past  events, 
or  those  that  are  passing,  and  on  those 
which  futurity  will  probably  develop. 


HON.  GEORGE  \\ .  GATE.  Bio- 
graphical sketches  of  those  who  have 
attained  merited  distinction  in  Amer- 
ican law  have  a  charm  and  force  in 
them  that  commend  them  to  every  sound 
thinker.  We  naturally  feel  an  interest  in 
tracing  the  footsteps  of  those  who  have 
reached  elevated  positions  in  public  confi- 
dence, and  have  wielded  their  influence  for 
public  good;  who,  loving  truth,  and  integrity 
for  their  own  sake,  have  undeviatingly  fol- 
lowed their  dictates,  no  matter  what  the 
personal  consequences  might  be.  Records  of 
this  kind  are  calculated  to  raise  the  minis- 
trations of  law  in  public  estimation,  and  are 
guides  for  the  junior  members  of  the  profes- 
sion in  their  pursuit  of  reputation,  distinc- 
tion and  position. 

Born  September  17,  1823,  in  Montpelier, 
Vt. ,  Judge  Gate  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Glar- 
issa  (McKnight)  Gate,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire,  the  latter  of  Massachusetts, 
and  they  were  well-to-do  farming  people, 
their  home  being  some  six  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier. At  the  public  schools  of  that  city 
our  subject  received  a  liberal  education,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  in  1840,  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Joseph  A.  Wing,  Plainfield,  W'ashington  Go., 
Vt.,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
for  a  similar  length  of  time  studied  under  Le- 
cius  B.  Peck,  of  Montpelier,  Vt.,  after  which, 
in  1844,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
latter  place,  before  Judge  Isaac  F.  Redfield, 
of  the  Supreme  Gourt  of  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont. Goming  to  Wisconsin  in  1845,  Mr. 
Gate  worked  in  a  sawmill  on  the  Eau  Glaire 
river,  among  the  pineries,  and  was  also  en- 
gaged in  all  the  branches  of  lumbering,  in- 
cluding rafting  logs  down  the  Eau  Glaire  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  1848  he  located  in 
Plover  (at  that  time  the  county  seat  of 
Portage  county.  Wis.),  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  the  only 
other  disciple  of  Blackstone  in  that  locality 
being  James   S.  Alban,    who  was  afterward 


killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  From  the  day 
of  his  first  opening  office  in  Plover  our  sub- 
ject has  given  his  entire  time  to  his  pro- 
fession (except  while  absent  in  Gongress, 
engaged  on  business  pertaining  to  the  State 
and  Nation),  and  he  has  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  busiest,  as  well  as  one  of 
the  most  successful  lawyers  in  northern 
Wisconsin.  He  has  given  considerable  at- 
tention to  the  practice  of  common  law,  and 
among  the  prominent  cases  in  which  he  has 
met  with  signal  success  may  be  mentioned 
the  famous  Lamere  murder  case,  and  the 
Hazeltine-Gurran-Morse  case,  and  the  Mead 
murder  (two  trials),  in  all  of  which  he  was 
counsel  for  the  defense,  and  where  all  the 
defendants  were  acquitted.  He  was  one  of 
the  managers  for  the  State  in  the  impeach- 
ment trial  of  Judge  Hubbell.  From  1848  to 
1854  he  held  various  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
people,  such  as  prosecuting  attorney,  register 
of  deeds,  clerk  to  the  board  of  supervisors, 
supervisor,  deputy  postmaster  of  Plover, 
member  of  the  Legislature,  and  at  the  time 
it  was  the  only  post  office  in  the  pinery  of 
Portage  county.  In  1854  he  was  elected 
circuit  judge,  and  served  four  terms  of  six 
years  each,  with  the  exception  of  the  last 
term,  when  he  resigned  after  the  fourth  year 
on  account  of  his  running  for  Gongress. 
This  was  in  the  fall  of  1874  (the  year  of  his 
moving  to  Stevens  Point),  and  though  the 
Judge  is  a  pronounced  Democrat,  and  the 
Judicial  Gircuit  and  District  was  strongly 
Republican,  yet  he  received  a  handsome 
majority.  While  he  was  in  Gongress  the 
vote  on  the  electoral  commission,  which  re- 
sulted in  seating  President  Hayes,  was  taken, 
and  Judge  Gate  was  one  of  the  seventeen 
Democrats  who  voted  against  it.  On  the 
completion  of  one  term  in  Gongress  he  re- 
turned to  his  Wisconsin  home,  and  resumed 
practice. 

In  1 85 1  Judge  Gate  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Lavara  S.  Brown,  daughter 
of  Daniel  Brown,  a  lumberman,  formerly  of 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  who  came  to  Stevens 
Point  from  Iowa.  Six  children  have  been 
born  to  this  marriage,  to  wit:  Albert  G., 
now  of  Amherst,  Portage  Go. ,  Wis. ;  Lynn 
Boyd,  of  Stevens  Point;  Henry,  a  pharma- 
cist, of  Menominee,  Mich. ;  Garrie,  now  the 


6/^(^Wz: 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


wife  of  Dr.  Cronyn,  of  Milwaukee;  and  Ruth 
and  Georgia,  both  at  home.  The  entire 
family  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  the  Judge  since  i860,  and  for  the 
past  six  years  he  has  been  senior  warden  of 
the  Church  of  the  Intercession,  Stevens 
Point.  Socially,  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  F.  &  A.  M.  since  1855.  In  addition  to 
seven  or  eight  city  lots,  he  owns  a  200-acre 
farm  in  Portage  county,  and  takes  a  great 
interest  in  the  breeding  of  blooded  cattle; 
altogether  he  has  imported  several  head  of 
this  class  of  cattle  to  Portage  county,  and  at 
the  present  time  he  has  a  herd  of  some 
thirty  fine-bred  Jersej's  (about  thirty  years 
ago  he  imported  fine  Devon  cattle,  and, 
later,  several  Alderneys).  The  family  resi- 
dence is  No.  321  Ellis  street,  Stevens  Point. 
Large  and  generous  of  nature,  kindly  and 
charitable  of  disposition,  with  a  deep  sense 
of  right.  Judge  Cate  is  greatly  respected  by 
all,  and  his  counsels  are  frequently  sought 
b}'  his  many  friends. 


AUGUST  KICKBUSCH.  Some  men's 
minds  are  blessed,  in  addition 
to  other  native  talents,  with  the 
happy  faculty  of  originality,  permit- 
ting them,  if  they  so  desire,  to  forsake  the 
beaten  paths,  and  boldly  strike  for  success 
by  new  and  untried  methods.  In  looking 
over  the  brilliant  career  of  Mr.  Kickbusch, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  of  Wausau's 
prominent  citizens,  one  is  impressed  with 
the  fertility  and  versatility  of  his  powers, 
giving  him  a  reserve  force  that  would  make 
him  equal  to  any  business  emergency  that 
might  arise.  He  has  shared  fully  in  the 
glory  of  Wausau's  material  advancement, 
serving  as  its  first  mayor,  possessing  an 
abundance  of  prosperous  business  interests 
— wholesale  grocery,  brick  manufacturer 
and  lumber  dealer — instrumental  as  no  other 
man  has  been  in  the  settlement  of  the  county 
with  a  thrifty  class  of  citizens,  and  in  many 
ways  contributing  to  its  welfare. 

Mr.  Kickbusch  was  born  in  Colberg,  Prov- 
ince of  Pomerania,  Prussia,  Germany,  Oc- 
tober 15,  1828,  son  of  Martin  F.  and  Kat- 
rina  (Koahn)  Kickbusch.  Martin  F.  was  born 
in  Germany  August  26, 1 802,  and  had  a  family 


of  five  children:  August,subject  of  this  sketch; 
Marie,  wife  of  Herman  Marquardt,  of  Wau- 
sau;  Ferdinand,  of  Wausau;  Caroline,  wife 
of  Frank  Radandt,  of  Kilbourn  City,  and 
Frederick  William,  now  United  States  con- 
sul at  Stettin,  Germany.  Martin  Kickbusch 
died  in  Wausau  in  1873,  his  wife  in  1875, 
and  both  are  buried  in  Wausau  Cemetery. 
August  attended  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  land,  then  learned  the  trade  of  a 
brick  manufacturer,  at  which  he  worked  in 
the  Fatherland  until  1857,  when  he  emi- 
grated via  Quebec  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  here 
joining  his  parents,  who  had  crossed  the 
ocean  two  weeks  earlier.  Three  days  later 
August  started  afoot  for  Wausau,  walking 
the  entire  distance.  There  he  purchased 
354  acres  of  land,  eighteen  miles  distant, 
in  Hamburg  township,  but  not  being  able  to 
reach  the  locality  he  returned  to  Milwaukee, 
where  he  remained  for  nearly  three  years, 
engaged  in  teaming. 

In  i860  Mr.  Kickbusch  purchased  a 
wagonload  of  merchandise  suitable  for  a 
pioneer  country,  and  drove  through  to  Wau- 
sau, then  called  Big  Bull.  Selling  the  goods 
at  a  profit  of  $59,  he  returned  to  Milwaukee 
for  his  family  and  household  goods.  On  the 
journey  northward  the  family  camped  at 
night  by  the  roadside.  Arriving  at  Wausau 
he  proceeded  to  build  a  shanty  on  Clark's 
Island,  the  family  in  the  meantime  sleeping 
in  the  wagon,  while  he  made  himself  com- 
fortable under  the  wagon.  Here,  in  Sep- 
tember, i860,  Mr.  Kickbusch  began  a  general 
trading  business,  buying  furs  from  the  In- 
dians and  shipping  them  to  Milwaukee.  In 
1 862  he  purchased  the  large  and  commodious 
premises  which  he  now  occupies,  corner  of 
Main  and  Washington  streets,  and  there  his 
mercantile  business  grew  until  to-day  it  is 
one  of  the  most  e.xtensive  in  Wausau.  In 
1862  Mr.  Kickbusch  also  engaged  in  brick 
manufacturing  and  in  lumbering,  both  of 
which  industries  he  still  conducts.  His  mills 
are  as  follows:  One  sawmill  situated  about 
six  miles  from  Merrill,  Lincoln  county,  the 
other  at  Riceville,  seven  miles  east  of  Har- 
shaw,  Oneida  county,  the  planing-mill  being 
at  Rice  Lake  Spur.  He  also  has  a  brick- 
yard at  Edgar,  Marathon  county,  and,  when 
his  several  industries  are  in  full  operation. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


employment  is  given  to  a  force  of  two  thou- 
sand men,  a  little  army  in  itself.  In  1865 
he  built  a  hardware,  stove  and  crockery 
store  adjoining  his  grocery,  and  in  1872  he 
erected  a  brick  business  block  adjoining  his 
present  store  on  the  east,  and  a  brick  ware- 
house, all  occupied  by  the  firm. 

Mr.  Kickbusch  had  become  interested  in 
the  settlement  of  the  county,  and  March  12, 
1S67,  thinking  the  land  was  not  filling  up 
with  settlers  as  rapidly  as  it  should,  he  took 
a  trip  to  Germany,  and  in  three  months 
secured  702  desirable  emigrants,  for  the 
passage  of  whom  the  steamer  "America,"  of 
the  North  German  Lloyd  line,  was  exclu- 
sively secured.  Leaving  Bremen  May  29, 
1867,  this  large  party  reached  New  York 
June  12  and  Wausau  on  June  20.  They 
proceeded  by  rail  to  Oshkosh,  thence  by  boat 
to  Gill's  Landing,  where  teams  were  secured 
for  the  women  and  children,  the  men  walk- 
ing, and  Wausau  was  reached  June  20,  1867. 
Some  of  the  party  Mr.  Ivickbusch  employed, 
and  for  others  he  secured  work.  Many  took 
up  land  and  engaged  in  farming,  the  entire 
party  being  comfortably  settled  in  a  short 
time  and  thoroughly  amalgamated  with  the 
like  of  Marathon  county.  From  that  time 
the  county  began  to  improve  rapidl}',  and 
the  great  impulse  which  Mr.  Kickbusch  thus 
gave  to  the  county's  prosperity  has  been 
lasting.  Many  of  those  early  settlers  still 
regard  him  as  their  father  and  benefactor. 
He  has  since  been  offered  $1,000  and  a  free 
passage  to  and  from  Europe  to  make  another 
such  trip,  but  other  business  interests  will 
not  permit. 

Mr.  Kickbusch  was  married,  in  Germany, 
to  Miss  Matilda  Schochow,  daughter  of  Er- 
nest and  Mina  Schochow.  Of  their  six  chil- 
dren four  are  yet  living,  as  follows:  Otto, 
born  January  i,  1855,  a  resident  of  Wau- 
sau; Martha,  born  in  February;  i860,  wife  of 
William  Rens,  of  Wausau;  Robert,  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father,  born  August  24,  1861, 
married  to  Lena,  daughter  of  John  A.  and 
Louisa  Frenzel,  and  father  of  two  children — 
Nina  M.,  born  April  13,  1883,  and  August 
R.,  born  November  9,  1888;  and  Emma, 
born  September  i,  1863.  wife  of  Anthony 
Mohr,  and  the  mother  of  one  child — Matilda. 
Mrs.  Kickbusch  died  May  26,  1891,  and  for 


his  second  wife  Mr.  Kickbusch  married  Miss 
Amelia  Flohr  (daughter  of  Ferdinand  Flohr), 
by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Paul  and 
Alma. 

For  several  terms  Mr.  Kickbusch  was 
president  of  the  village,  and  chairman  of  the 
county  board  for  five  years;  was  the  first 
mayor  of  Wausau,  filling  the  office  two 
terms;  for  a  year  he  was  register  of  the 
United  States  Land  Office,  but  resigned  the 
position  from  lack  of  time  to  devote  to  it. 
He  is  president  of  the  George  Ruder  Brew- 
ing Co. ;  director  of  the  Wausau  Furniture 
Co. ;  has  been  a  director  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  since  its  organization,  and  is 
now  vice-president  of  same,  and  is  president 
of  the  Central  Land  Co.  Mr.  Kickbusch 
supplies  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
railroad  with  its  timber  for  bridges,  ties,  tele- 
graph poles,  etc.,  and  also  furnished  part  of 
the  piles  for  the  Jackson  Park  World's  Fair 
pier,  Chicago.  Socially,  he  was  a  charter 
member  of  Lodge  No.  215,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and, 
politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  The 
family  attend  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Church. 
Mr.  Kickbusch  has  been  the  promoter  of 
many  enterprises  of  a  semi-social  or  public 
character  at  Wausau,  and  few,  if  any  men 
have  done  so  much  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  this  portion  of  northern  Wisconsin.  In 
1892  he  presented  each  of  his  eldest  two 
sons — Otto  and  Robert — with  a  property 
consisting  of  a  three-story  solid  brick  build- 
ing, each  25  feet  front  and  70  feet  long,  on 
Third  street,  Wausau,  valued  at  $20,000, 
and  to  his  yougest  daughter — Alma — he  gave 
an  elegant  solid  brick  residence  covering 
four  lots,  and  situated  on  the  corner  of 
Third  avenue  and  Clark  street.  Mr.  Kick- 
busch's  own  residence  is  on  Stewart  avenue, 
located  on  a  forty-acre  tract,  twenty  of 
which  lie  within  the  city  limits  of  Wausau. 
It  is  a  fine  brick  mansion,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  city  which  it  overlooks,  and  is  surrounded 
with  beautiful  lawns  and  shade  trees,  while 
on  the  grounds,  near  the  residence,  is  a 
natural  fish  pond,  in  which  sport  a  multitude 
of  German  carp,  and  the  farm  is  stocked  with 
a  fine  breed  of   Holstein  and  Jersey  cattle. 

Robert  Kickbusch  resides  at  the  corner 
of  Second  street  and  Franklin  boulevard, 
and  in  a  substantial  two-story  brick  mansion 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


13 


with  mansard  roof,  one  of  the  most  artistic 
and  attractive  private  residences  in  Wausau, 
surrounded  as  it  is  with  extensive  and  well- 
kept  grounds  and  beautiful  shade  trees. 


WEBSTER  E.  BROWN.  A  history 
of  the  growth  and  development  of 
the  commercial  interests  of  north- 
ern ^^'isconsi^,  more  especially  of 
the  city  of  Rhinelander,  would  not  be  com- 
plete without  a  mention  of  the  enterprises, 
as  well  as  the  public  improvements,  with 
which  the  name  of  this  gentleman  has  long 
been  identified. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  July  16,  1851,  near  Peterboro, 
Madison  county,  the  second  son  of  Edward 
D.  and  Helen  M.  (Anderson)  Brown,  well- 
to-do  people  formerly  of  New  York  State, 
from  which  State  they  moved  to  Wisconsin 
in  the  spring  of  1857.  For  a  short  time 
they  made  their  home  at  the  village  of  New- 
port, Columbia  county,  later  moving  to 
Hull  township,  Portage  county,  later  to 
Stockton  township,  same  county,  and,  still 
later  to  Stevens  Point,  where  Mrs.  Brown 
died  in  1888.  In  1894  the  bereaved  hus- 
band and  his  two  daughters,  May  and  Helen, 
moved  to  Rhinelander,  and  are  now  living 
in  an  elegant  and  comfortable  home  which 
he  recently  built.  Few  men  are  better 
known  in  the  Upper  Wisconsin  Valley  than 
Edward  D.  Brown,  or  more  highly  respect- 
ed for  honesty,  integrity  and  thorough  busi- 
ness capacity.  They  have  eight  children 
now  living,  namely:  Anderson  W.,  Webster 
E. ,  Edward  O. ,  Walter  D. ,  Florence  H,  (now 
the  wife  of  Judge  Paul  Brown,  of  Rhineland- 
er), Isabell  (wife  of  D.  D.  Planner,  lum- 
ber dealer,  Rhinelander),  and  May  and 
Helen.  Four  of  this  family  are  graduates 
of  the  Wisconsin  State  University,  Madison, 
and  all  attended  this  institution  at  some 
time. 

Webster  E.  Brown,  the  subject  proper 
of  this  sketch,  was  about  six  years  old  when 
the  family  came  to  Wisconsin,  and  his  ele- 
mentary education  was  secured  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Portage  county,  after  which, 
and  while  still  in  his  boyhood,  he  attended 
a  few  months  of  each  year  for  three    years 


the  universit}'  at  Appleton,  which  was  sup- 
plemented, in  the  spring  of  1870,  with  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Spencerian  Business 
College,  Milwaukee.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  entered  the  Wisconsin  State  Uni- 
versity, at  Madison,  graduating  from  there 
with  the  class  of  '74.  In  the  spring  of  the 
following  year,  he  and  his  brother  Ander- 
son W. ,  under  the  firm  name  of  Brown  Bros. , 
opened  up  a  lumber  business  a  Stevens  Point, 
another  brother  Edward  O.,  joining  them  in 
1880;  the  firm  continued  in  business  at 
Stevens  Point  until  1883.  In  1875  they 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  where  Rhineland- 
er is  now  located.  In  1S82  and  1883,  they 
closed  out  their  interests  at  Stevens  Point 
and  removed  to  Rhinelander,  where  they 
have  since  pursued  a  general  lumber  busi- 
ness. Their  sawmill  here  has  a  capacity  of 
one  hundred  thousand  feet  every  ten  hours, 
in  addition  to  which  they  have  a  planing- 
mill,  and  other  accessories  necessary  to  a 
well-equipped  lumber  plant.  In  the  fall  of 
1882  they  platted  the  village  of  Rhinelander, 
our  subject  having  charge  of  the  village 
real  estate,  also  of  the  manufacturing  and 
sale  of  lumber  produced  by  their  mill.  On 
January  i,  1890,  the  business  of  the  broth- 
ers was  incorporated,  under  the  general 
laws  of  the  State,  as  the  Brown  Brothers 
Lumber  Co.,  of  which  company  our  subject 
is  secretary.  The  Brown  Bros.  Lumber 
Co.,  are  also  owners  of  pine  lands  in  Wis- 
consin and  Michigan,  and  moreover  are  in- 
terested in  coal  mines  in  Tennessee.  At 
one  time  they  carried  on  a  private  banking 
business,  known  as  E.  D.  Brown  &  Sons 
Bank,  which  was  afterward  merged  into  the 
Merchants  State  Bank  of  Rhinelander,  of 
which  they  are  directors.  They  are  prom- 
inent among  the  active  business  men  of 
Rhinelander,  and  by  their  energ}',  enterprise 
and  influence  have  figured  largely  in  making 
the  city  what  it  is.  Like  the  father,  the  sons 
own  handsome  and  pleasant  homes. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  is  a 
conservative  and  successful  business  man. 
He  has  always  been  identified  with  every 
movement  tending  to  the  advancement  of 
the  interests  of  his  city.  He  was  elected 
mayor  of  Rhinelander  in  the  spring  of  1894, 
and   re-elected   in   the    spring  of   1895,   on 


H 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


both  occasions  without  opposition.  He  is 
an  advocate  of  temperance,  yet  liberal  in 
his  views  on  the  question,  and  believes  in 
the  enforcement  of  the  law  on  that  and  all 
other  kindred  matters  that  have  been  so 
much  legislated  on.  Politically  a  Repub- 
lican, he  is  no  office-seeker,  but  his  friends 
have  insisted  in  keeping  him  in  incumbencies 
where  his  abilities  can  be  best  brought  into 
use.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board  several  years,  and  takes  a  great  inter- 
est in  educational  matters;  was  chairman  of 
the  county  board  two  j'ears,  and  of  the  town 
board  three  years. 

On  December  26,  1877,  Webster  E. 
Brown  and  Miss  Juliet  D.  Meyer  were 
united  in  marriage.  She  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, Penn.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Martha  P.  (Phelps)  Meyer,  the 
former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  in  early  life  was  private  secretarj-  for 
Eastwick,  Winans  &  Co.,  who  built  the  first 
railroad  from  Moscow  to  St.  Petersburg, 
Russia,  for  the  government.  When  yet  a 
young  man  he  emigrated  to  America,  locat- 
ing in  Philadelphia  as  a  merchant,  and  there 
marrying.  After  a  residence  in  the  Quaker 
City  of  a  few  years,  he  came,  in  1858,  to 
Wisconsin,  settling  in  Lancaster,  Grant 
county,  engaging  in  a  mercantile  and  bank- 
ing business,  where  he  still  resides.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Meyer  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  five  of  whom  are  yet  living:  Rich- 
ard, Frederick  P.,  Nettie  E.,  Jessie  M.  and 
Mrs.  Webster  E.  Brown.  Mrs.  Brown  is 
an  educated  and  refined  lady,  and  a  gradu- 
ate, in  1875,  of  the  Wisconsin  State  Uni- 
versity, after  which  she  taught  in  the  high 
schools  at  Lancaster  and  Madison,  Wis., 
two  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  have 
been  born  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living,  to  wit:  Ralph  D.,  Edna  M., 
Dorothy,  Richard  M.  and  Allan  D.  Our 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  No. 
173,  Rhinelander  Lodge,  and  also  of  the 
K.  of  P.  Lodge  at  Rhinelander.  He  and 
his  amiable  and  accomplished  life  partner 
are  prominently  identified  with  the  Con- 
gregational Church. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  man  of  good  physique, 
as  well  as  forcible  intellectual  qualities,  and 
is  possessed  of  an  active  mind,  and  a  frank 


and  generous  disposition,  traits  of  character 
inherited  by  a  worthy  son  from  a  worthy 
sire  and  ancestr}'. 


EDWARD  DASKAM.  Man  has  been 
endowed  with  reason,  will  and 
physical  power,  and  it  is  b)'  patient 
industry  only  that  he  can  open  up  a 
pathway  to  the  enduring  prosperity  of  a  com- 
munity. The  fittest  survive,  and,  in  writing 
biographies  of  individuals  like  our  subject, 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  meet  with  such  striking 
examples  of  industry  and  integrity. 

Mr.  Daskam  is  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  March  14,  1843,  '"  Caton,  Steu- 
ben county,  a  grandson  of  Nathan  Daskam, 
Jr.,  who  was  of  Connecticut  birth  and  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which 
struggle  he  had  a  brother  among  the  slain. 
Nathan  Daskam,  Sr. ,  great-grandfather  of 
Edward  Daskam,  was  one  of  the  associates 
of  the  Old  Hartford  Bank,  known  as  the 
"Daskam  and  Barsley  Bank,"  and  the 
Daskams  furnished  "sinews  of  war"  to  the 
government  in  both  the  Revolution  and  the 
war  of  18 12.  The  grandparents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  of  Welch  and  English  descent, 
their  ancestors  having  many  years  ago  set- 
tled in  Connecticut  where  Nathan,  Jr.,  and 
his  wife,  as  well  as  his  parents,  all  passed 
their  entire  lives.  Nathan  Daskam,  Jr.,  and 
his  wife  had  one  daughter,  Ann,  now  Mrs. 
Sydam  (whose  son,  Hiram  Sydam,  is  a 
prominent  business  man  of  Geneva,  N.  Y.), 
and  three  sons,  John  (a  farmer),  Nathan  and 
Robert,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1801,  and  became  a 
mechanic.  He  (Robert)  married  Miss  Maria 
A.  Wheeler,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
in  1807,  of  German  and  Irish  ancestry,  her 
father  being  of  Mohawk-Dutch  lineage  (his 
parents  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
Mohawk  Valle)),  her  mother  of  Irish.  They 
were  farmers,  and  died  in  Ontario  county, 
N.  Y. ,  each  at  the  age  of  about  ninety  years, 
the  parents  of  four  children:  \\'illiam  H., 
Jerry,  Jane  and  Maria  A.  To  Robert  Das- 
kam and  his  wife  were  born  ten  children,  a 
brief  sketch  of  whom  is  as  follows:  Will- 
iam H.,  the  eldest,  enlisted  in  the  Fourth 
Wis.  V.    I.,  and  died    in   August,    1862,    of 


'iiT^&^i-irJ^'y 


c/^'x.-<yi^ 


(^^t^^^c/z^.'Z^  ^i^^^^^. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


15 


wounds  received,  leaving  a  widow  but  no 
children  (he  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Mexi- 
can war,  having  enlisted  in  Chicago);  Lu- 
cinda  married  Richard  Ardell,  a  shoemaker, 
and  resides  in  Waupaca  county;  Caroline  is 
now  the  wife  of  William  Sidney,  a  farmer 
of  New  York  State;  John  W.  is  a  farmer  in 
Langlade  county  (he  was  a  soldier  in  the 
First  Wis.  V.  C,  and  served  one  year); 
Elizabeth  A.  is  now  the  wife  of  George 
Gelder,  a  farmer  in  Michigan,  near  Kala- 
mazoo; Mathilda  is  the  deceased  wife  of 
Stephen  Hibbard;  Edward  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Louisa  is  now  Mrs.  Hudson 
Gelder,  and  resides  in  New  York  State; 
Robert  L.  (i)  died  when  seven  years  old; 
Robert  L.  (2)  is  a  farmer  of  Calumet  county. 
Wis. ;  Charles  W.  is  a  resident  of  Ashland, 
Wis.  In  1857  the  family  came  to  Wiscon- 
sin settling  on  a  farm  in  Calumet  county, 
where  the  father  died  November  25,  1882. 
He  was  self-made,  self-educated,  a  great 
reader,  and  well  posted  in  the  affairs  of  his 
time;  public-spirited  and  liberal-minded,  he 
was  a  man  of  broad  ideas,  and  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him. 

Edward  Daskam,  whose  name  introduces 
this  sketch,  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  en- 
joyed the  advantages  of  a  common-school 
training.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  on  Sep- 
tember 15,  1 86 1,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
G,  Fourteenth  Wis.  V.  L,  re-enlisting  De- 
cember II,  1863,  as  a  veteran,  at  Vicks- 
burg.  Miss.,  and  was  discharged  at  Mobile, 
Ala.,  October  9,  1865,  as  first  sergeant.  His 
war  record  is  an  enviable  one,  and  the  same 
courage  displayed  in  the  field  of  battle  has 
since  characterized  his  walks  in  civil  and 
political  life.  He  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Pittsburg  Landing,  was  at  the  sieges  of 
both  Corinth  and  Vicksburg,  was  with 
Sherman  at  Atlanta,  present  at  the  affair  at 
Nashville,  and  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Spanish  Fort  which  lasted  fourteen  days. 
With  the  e.xception  of  a  short  time  he  was 
in  the  hospital  sick  with  the  measles  he  was 
always  with  his  regiment,  never  missing  an 
engagement.  On  his  return  from  the  army 
in  October,  1865,  he  engaged  in  farming  a 
couple  of  years,  during  which  time  he  took 
up  the  real-estate  business  to  which  he  then 
turned    his    attention    exclusively,    at    first 


dealing  in  farm  lands,  later  handling  city 
and  village  property.  In  March,  1882,  he 
came  to  Antigo,  Langlade  county,  which 
was  then  a  collection  of  shanties,  at  once 
invested  in  vacant  lots,  and  has  since  been 
actively  engaged  here  in  the  real-estate  bus- 
iness, which  he  does  not  confine  to  city  and 
town  property  in  the  county  and  State,  for 
he  has  extended  his  interests  in  that  line 
into  the  Dakotas,  Montana,  Michigan  and 
other  States.  He  also  carries  on  a  general 
brokerage  business,  and  upon  the  reorgani- 
zation of  the  Bank  of  Antigo  he  was  ap- 
pointed vice-president.  In  the  building  up 
of  Antigo  he  has  been  a  prominent  factor, 
has  platted  three  additions  known  as  the 
"  Daskam  Additions,"  and  further  interested 
himself  in  the  erection  of  several  brick 
blocks,  a  foundry  and  machine  shop,  be- 
sides other  manufacturing  plants;  as  soon, 
however,  es  he  saw  each  of  these  industries 
on  its  feet,  he  would  sell  out,  preferring  to 
confine  himself  to  the  open  precincts  of  real- 
estate  dealing,  of  which  by  his  natural  acu- 
men, shrewdness  and  sagacity  he  has  made 
a  pronounced  success. 

On  January  2,  1871,  Mr.  Daskam  was 
married  to  Miss  Henrietta  J.  McMullen,  by 
whom  he  had  children,  as  follows:  Thomas 
E.,  assistant  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Antigo; 
Mary  L. ,  living  at  home,  and  two  that  died 
in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these  passed 
away  to  the  "better  land"  in  1883,  and 
September  7,  1885,  Mr.  Daskam  wedded 
Miss  Osca  Bemis,  daughter  of  George  W. 
Bemis,  register  of  deeds,  Antigo,  and  by  this 
union  there  are  three  children:  Edith,  Ed- 
ward and  Bemis.  Socially  our  subject  is 
prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  having  at- 
tained the  thirty-second  degree;  he  is  a 
member  of  Antigo  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  No. 
231,  of  Wausau  Commandery  No.  19,  of 
Milwaukee  Consistory,  and  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  Milwaukee;  he  is  also  a  member  of 
the  G.  A.  R. ,  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  each  fraternity.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  served  as  assessor  and 
on  the  county  board.  In  his  religious  views 
he  is  liberal,  giving  freely  of  his  means  to 
all  denominations,  and  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  the  public  schools,  in  fact  in  all  educa- 
tional projects.      As  a  business   man  he  has 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


been  exceptionally  successful,  and  certainly 
seems  worthy  of  being  placed  on  the  list  of 
the  wealthiest  men  of  Antigo,  his  career  be- 
ing proverbial  for  honest,  straightforward, 
fair-and-square  dealings  with  all  with  whom 
he  has  had  business  transactions  of  any 
kind.  He  is  a  man,  take  him  for  all  in  all, 
of  whom  everybody  always  speaks  well,  and 
who  has  not,  and  does  not  deserve  to  have, 
a  single  personal  enemy. 


JOSEPH  DESSERT.  Few  men  have 
resided  continuously  in  the  Upper  Wis- 
consin Valley  for  over  fifty  years. 
Joseph  Dessert  has  not  only  been  a 
resident  of  Marathon  county  for  over  half  a 
century,  but  he  has  during  that  period  built 
up  a  vast  lumbering  business  that  is  perhaps 
second  to  none  in  the  State.  He  has  made 
no  business  failures,  and  his  name  is  a  syno- 
nym of  enduring  confidence  and  integrity. 
Not  swerved  from  his  business  b}'  this  or 
that  glittering  bubble,  he  has  made  it  one  of 
the  substantial  bulwarks  of  northern  Wis- 
consin. 

Mr.  Dessert  is  a  native  of  Canada,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Maskinonge,  Province  of 
Quebec,  January  8,  1819,  son  of  Peter  and 
Melonie  (Baulien)  Dessert,  both  natives  of 
that  province.  Twelve  children  were  born 
to  them,  four  of  whom  survive:  Melonie, 
wife  of  Adolphus  Martin,  still  living  in  her 
native  home  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
one  years;  Joseph,  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Dosite  and  Bozilis,  both  residents  of 
the  Province  of  Canada,  the  latter  being 
widow  of  Louis  Landry.  Joseph  attended 
the  schools  of  the  neighborhood  of  his 
father's  home,  and  worked  at  lumbering  in 
Canada  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  In  May,  1 840,  he  made  a  trip  to  the 
Lake  Superior  region,  and  for  four  years 
was  employed  by  the  American  Fur  and 
Trading  Co.  Returning  home  July  i,  1844, 
he  remained  only  a  few  months,  and  Sep- 
tember 16  started,  an  unknown  young  man, 
on  a  long  journey  to  the  unknown  forests  of 
Wisconsin,  where  thenceforth  he  was  to 
make  his  home,  and  which  he  was  destined 
to  honor  by  his  e.xemplary  and  potent  busi- 
ness   career.       Reaching    Buffalo,    he    pro- 


ceeded by  steamer  to  Milwaukee,  thence  b}- 
lumber  wagon  to  Fort  Winnebago,  now 
Portage  City.  He  pushed  on  to  Whitney 
Rapids  by  team,  but  the  destination  was  still 
nearly  seventy-five  miles  away,  and  the 
country  sparsely  settled,  principally  by  In- 
dians. This  long  and  tiresome  journey  was 
made  afoot.  Mr.  Dessert  reached  Mosinee 
October  20,  1844,  and  from  that  date  to  the 
present  he  has  been  a  continuous  resident 
of  Marathon  county  For  fi\e  years  he 
worked  for  wages  in  the  solitudes  of  this 
vast  wilderness,  lumbering  and  logging  on 
the  river.  Then,  in  1849,  he  joined  for- 
tunes with  three  other  young  men — William 
Pencast,  Henry  Cate  and  James  Etheridge 
— and,  under  the  firm  name  of  Pencast,  Des- 
sert &  Co. ,  started  the  business  which  has 
grown  into  the  extensive  trade  now  com- 
manded by  the  Joseph  Dessert  Lumber 
Co.  One  by  one  the  original  parties  dropped 
out,  until  Mr.  Dessert  was  left  sole  owner. 
First  Mr.  Pencast  withdrew,  in  1850,  and 
the  firm  became  Dessert,  Cate  &  Co.  Four 
years  later  Mr.  Etheridge  sold  his  interest 
to  the  remaining  partners,  and  the  style  of 
the  firm  became  Dessert  &  Cate.  In  1859 
Mr.  Dessert  purchased  his  partner's  interest 
and  became  sole  owner.  Alone  he  con- 
ducted the  business  for  twenty-one  years; 
then,  in  1880,  he  admitted  to  partnership 
his  nephew,  Louis  Dessert.  For  ten  j'ears 
the  business  was  under  the  firm  name  of 
Joseph  Dessert  &  Co. ,  and  in  December, 
1 890,  the  present  Joseph  Dessert  Lumber 
Co.  was  incorporated,  now  officered  bj' 
Joseph  Dessert,  president;  Louis  Dessert, 
vice-president  and  manager,  and  H.  M. 
Thompson,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Mrs. 
H.  M.  Thompson  is  a  stockholder.  The 
company  conducts  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive lumber  business  in  the  State. 

In  1862  Joseph  Dessert  was  married,  in 
Waukesha  county,  to  Miss  Mary  Sanford, 
daughter  of  William  E.  and  Lavina  T.  San- 
ford, the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  the 
latter  of  New  York  State.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dessert  have  had  two  children:  Marion  M., 
who  died  in  infancy,  and  Stella,  wife  of 
Henry  M.  Thompson,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Joseph  Dessert  Lumber  Co. 
Mrs.    Dessert   died  July  i.   1881.       Though 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPHIGAL   BECORD. 


17 


frequently  tendered  important  and  responsi- 
ble offices  Mr.  Dessert  has  almost  invariably 
refused  to  accept,  and  in  no  sense  has  he 
ever  been  an  aspirant  for  political  honors, 
knowing  that  his  business,  if  neglected,  must 
suffer.  Yet  he  has  ever  been  ready  with  his 
counsel  and  means  to  forward  enterprises 
promoting  the  public  v\-elfare;  he  served  for 
several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  county 
board,  and  was  also  county  commissioner 
for  one  term.  Mr.  Dessert  is  now  in  his 
seventy-seventh  year,  and  has  shifted  the 
burden  of  active  business  life  to  younger 
shoulders.  He  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health,  and  has  the  friendship  and  esteem  of 
all  who  have  known  him,  either  in  public  or 
in  private  life.  No  man  better  deserves 
the  good  will  of  others  than  he,  and  none 
possesses  it  in  a  greater  degree. 


LOUIS  DESSERT,  vice-president  of 
The  Joseph  Dessert  Lumber  Co. , 
Mosinee,  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
Saint  Ambroise,  Kildare,  Province  of 
Quebec,  Canada,  June  6,  1849,  and  is  a  son 
of  Antoine  and  Edvige  (Rotelle)  Dessert, 
both  natives  of  Canada,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  still  a  resident  of  the  old  homestead. 

Our  subject  received  a  French  education 
in  his  native  town,  and  when  nineteen  years 
of  age  he  came  to  Mosinee,  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  for  two  terms,  in 
order  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish language.  After  leaving  school  he 
was  employed  in  the  extensive  lumber  busi- 
ness of  Joseph  Dessert,  remaining  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  an  employe  until  1880,  in  which 
year  he  became  a  partner,  the  firm  name  be- 
ing changed  to  Joseph  Dessert  &  Co.  In 
1890,  when  the  Joseph  Dessert  Lumber  Co. 
was  organized  and  incorporated,  Louis  Des- 
sert became  vice-president,  an  official  title 
which  he  still  holds,  and  under  it  he  is  the 
active  general  manager  of  the  company's 
extensive  business. 

On  November  25,  1882,  he  was  married, 
in  Mosinee,  to  Miss  Abbie  Richardson. 
Their  family  of  three  children  is  composed 
of  Howard,  born  September  i6,  1883; 
Louise,  born  March  25,  1887;  and  Blanche, 


born  May  15,  1892.  In  politics  Mr.  Des- 
sert is  a  Republican.  In  1889  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  village  of  Mosinee,  and  he  has 
also  served  as  supervisor.  He  is  one  of  the 
active,  progressive  business  men  of  the  coun- 
ty, and  deservedly  popular  among  all  classes 
of  the  community.  Mr.  Dessert  is  also  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  C.  Gardner  &  Co., 
lumbermen  and  general  merchants.  He 
possesses  business  abilities  of  a  high  order, 
and  though  yet  comparatively  young  in 
years,  his  influence  in  the  development  of 
Marathon  county  is  widely  felt. 


HON.  SEBASTIAN  KRONENWET- 
TER,  one  of  the  substantial  aud  en- 
terprising business  men  of  Mara- 
thon county,  owns  and  operates  e.x- 
tensive  mills  near  Mosinee,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  lumbering  interests  of  the  Upper  Wis- 
consin Valley.  He  was  born  in  Wittenberg, 
Germany,  January  20,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of 
Miphael  and  Francisca  (Funk)  Kronen- 
wetter. 

Our  subject  attended  the  German  schools 
in  his  boyhood,  and  in  1846,  when  thirteen 
years  of  age,  emigrated  with  his  father  and 
mother  to  America.  They  settled  at  St. 
Mary's,  Elk  Co.,  Penn.,  and  here  the  par- 
ents remained,  honored  and  respected  resi- 
dents through  life.  Of  their  five  children 
three  now  survive:  Sebastian,  Nicholas 
and  Charles,  both  of  the  latter  still  residing 
at  St.  Mary's.  Sebastian  grew  to  manhood 
at  the  home  of  his  parents,  and  at  St. 
Mary's,  on  October  15,  1855,  he  married 
Miss  Mary  Biri,  a  native  of  Alsace,  France, 
now  Germany,  and  daughter  of  Benedict  and 
Barbara  Biri.  Two  years  later  he  resolved 
to  seek  a  home  in  the  Northwest.  Coming 
to  Wisconsin  in  1857,  he  located  in  Mosinee, 
where  for  two  years  he  worked  in  the  piner- 
ies. In  1859  Mr.  Kronenwetter  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  at  Mosinee,  conducting  it 
successfully  for  two  years.  Then,  in  1861, 
he  removed  to  Wausau,  and  opened  a  hos- 
telry in  that  bustling  little  city.  For  two 
years  he  prospered,  but  in  1863  fire  des- 
troyed  his  hotel,  consumed    all   his   earthly 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


possessions,  and  left  him  with  his  wife  and 
babes  penniless.  It  was  a  severe  blow, 
enough  to  dishearten  many  men,  but  Mr. 
Kronenwetter  went  bravely  to  the  task  of 
restoring  his  perished  fortunes.  Perhaps 
the  fire  was  a  blessing  in  disguise;  at  any 
rate  it  directed  the  energies  of  Mr.  Kronen- 
wetter  into  a  new  channel,  and  into  one 
through  which,  by  well-directed  efforts,  he 
has  risen  to  prominence  aud  a  measurable 
degree  of  affluence.  Beginning  anew  at  the 
foot  of  the  ladder,  in  the  pineries,  he 
worked  for  a  year  or  two,  then  launched 
into  the  logging  and  lumbering  business  on 
his  own  account  in  a  modest  way.  Through 
careful  attention  the  business  grew,  and  Mr. 
Kronenwetter  gained  in  experience  and 
capital.  In  1870  he  removed  to  his  present 
location,  which  at  that  time  was  an  un- 
broken wilderness.  Here  he  erected  his 
spacious  mills,  and  time  has  demonstrated 
the  correctness  of  his  business  judgment. 
He  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  lum- 
bering business,  and  through  energy  and 
perseverance  has  won  for  himself  a  place 
among  the  solid  and  respected  business  men 
of  Marathon  county.  He  has  for  twenty- 
one  years  held  the  office  of  chairman  of 
Mosinee  and  Kronenwetter  townships,  and 
was  chairman  of  Marathon  County  Board  in 
the  year  1880.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  for  the  year  1885.  All  his  family 
at  this  writing  reside  in  Mosinee  and  Kron- 
enwetter townships. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kronenwetter  have  been  as  follows:  Michael, 
born  at  St.  Mary's,  Penn.,  February  2, 
1857,  died  in  infancy;  Helen  O. ,  born  at 
Mosinee  June  22,  i860,  wife  of  Michael 
Lutz;  Francis  M.  K.,  born  at  Mosinee  June 
26,  1 86 1,  died  November  18,  1863;  Karl  A., 
born  at  Wausau,  August  2,  1862;  George  S. , 
born  at  Mosinee,  September  15,  1864;  Clara 
F.,  born  at  Mosinee,  October  9,  1866,  now 
the  wife  of  Eugene  Wirth;  Henry  M.,  born 
April  I,  1869;  Frances  Mary,  born  Febru- 
ary 21,  1872,  died  February  10,  1874; 
Marie  T. ,  born  in  Mosinee,  September  15, 
1874,  and  Anna  Otilia,  born  in  Mosinee, 
March  31,  1877.  The  family  is  one  of  the 
best  known  and  most  influential  in  Mara- 
thon county. 


HON.  W.  L.  ARNOTT.  So  closely 
have  the  lumber  interests  of  the  up- 
per Wisconsin  Valley  been  woven 
into  the  history  of  this  region  that 
few  of  the  prosperous  lives  in  the  Vallev 
have  escaped  a  more  or  less  intimate  rela- 
tion with  this  great  industry.  Mr.  Arnott, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Stockton 
township.  Portage  count}',  is  not  an  e.xcep- 
tion.  He,  too,  has  worked  in  the  lumber 
woods,  and  "run  the  river."  He  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Jerusalem,  Yates  Co.,  N.Y. , 
September  5,  1832,  only  child  of  Amasa  L. 
and  Lydia  (Rouse)  Arnott.  The  father, 
who  was  a  civil  engineer,  died  when  the  son 
was  but  eighteen  months  old,  and  the  mother 
subsequently  married  Isaac  Haight,by  whom 
she  had  one  daughter,  Adel,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twent)'-four  years.  Mrs.  Haight 
passed  away  in  Yates  county,  N.  Y.,  in 
1S44. 

W.  L.  Arnott  was  reared  on  the  farm  of 
his  grandfather,  Timothy  Rouse,  attending 
the  district  schools  and  assisting  in  the  farm 
duties  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he 
went  to  Woodhull  township,  Steuben  Co., 
N.  Y. ,  and  there  worked  for  his  uncle,  M. 
D.  Hathaway,  on  a  farm,  remaining  thereon 
till  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  After  leav- 
ing his  uncle  in  the  spring  of  1851,  he  passed 
a  couple  of  months  in  Huron  county,  Ohio, 
then  returning  to  New  York  State,  worked 
in  Yates  county  on  a  farm  up  to  the  time  of 
his  marriage.  He  was  married  at  Bath, 
Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  25,  1856,  to 
Mary  J.  Walker,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
town,  March  25,  1832,  daughter  of  James 
and  Gretia  (Warren)  W'alker,  who  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  to  wit:  Sarah, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  James 
W. ,  now  a  retired  farmer  of  Shawano  coun- 
ty, Wis.;  Gratia  A.,  wife  of  A.  B.  Daniels, 
a  farmer,  of  Georgia;  Susan  E. ,  now  Mrs. 
Charles  Beach,  of  Stevens  Point;  Mary  J. 
(Mrs.  Arnott);  William  R.,  who  was  ser- 
geant of  Company  E,  Fifth  Wis.  V.  I.,  and 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  in 
May,  1864;  Frank  R. ,  who  also  served  in 
the  Fifth  Wis.  V.  I.,  and  died  in  1889;  Ada 
J.  (Mrs.  Curren),  a  resident  of  Stevens 
Point;  and  Murray  W.,  who  died  when  five 
years  old.      The  father  of  this   family,  who 


^^7^. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


was  a  son  of  Abram  Walker,  and  was  of 
English  descent,  was  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  and  died  at  Bath,  N.  Y.  Gratia 
Walker,  the  mother,  was  born  in  Vermont, 
in  1804,  daughter  of  Phineas  Warren,  who 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  Dr.  Joseph  War- 
ren, of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  came  of 
English  stock.  Phineas  married  Mary 
Knight,  who  was  of  the  historic  Scottish 
house  of  Stewart.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnott 
have  two  children:  Lillian  A.,  and  Mary 
G.,  both  school  teachers,  the  latter  at  West 
Superior,  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Arnott  began  housekeeping  on  a 
seventy-five-acre  tract  of  land  which  he  had 
contracted  for.  He  had  little  means,  and 
what  he  did  possess  v^'as  his  own  accumula- 
tion from  wages  received.  In  May,  1 864, 
he  decided  to  move  west;  and  accordinj*ly 
set  out  by  rail  for  Plover,  Wis. ,  where  rela- 
tives of  Mrs.  Arnott  lived.  Coming  by  rail 
to  Berlin,  he  and  his  wife  and  daughter  jour- 
neyed by  stage  to  Plover.  Here  he  lived 
for  one  year,  working  in  the  lumber  woods 
in  the  winter,  and  running  the  river  to  Al- 
ton, 111.,  one  trip.  Renting  some  land  in 
Stockton  township.  Portage  county,  in  1865, 
he  moved  there,  and  three  years  later,  in 
July,  1868,  he  purchased  160  acres,  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  29,  where  he 
has  since  lived,  excepting  four  and  a  half 
years — from  the  fall  of  1887  to  the  spring  of 
1892 — during  which  time  he  was  making  his 
home  at  Stevens  Point.  During  two  of 
these  years — from  May,  1889,  to  May,  1 891, 
— he  served  creditably  as  State  timber  agent 
under  the  appointment  of  Gov.  Hoard. 

Politically,  Mr.  Arnott  is  an  earnest  and 
active  Republican.  He  is  regarded  as  the 
foremost  worker  among  the  members  of  his 
party  in  Stockton  township,  and  is  one  of 
its  advisors  and  counselors  in  the  county. 
He  has  served  as  assessor  two  years,  as 
chairman  two  years,  as  chairman  of  the 
county  board  one  year,  and  in  1876  was 
elected  to  the  State  legislature.  For  many 
years  he  was  clerk,  and  then  treasurer  of  his 
district,  and  has  filled  various  other  local 
offices.  Socially  he  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  On  account  of  his  ef- 
forts in  securing  a  certain  station  on  the 
Green  Bay,  Winona  &  St.  Paul   railway,  it 


was  named  in  his  honor.  Mr.  Arnott  has  a 
wide  acquaintance  through  the  count}',  and 
is  one  of  its  most  influential  and  substantial 
citizens. 


GEORGE  WERHEIM,  one  of  the 
most  substantial  and  respected  citi- 
zens of  Marathon  county,  and  one 
of  Wausau's  oldest  settlers,  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Werheim  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  Wausau,  one  of  the  largest  estab- 
lishments of  that  city. 

He  was  born  in  Hessen-Homburg,  Ger- 
many, January  6,  1834,  son  of  Konrad  and 
Margaret  Werheim.  The  mother  died  when 
George  was  a  boy,  attending  the  common- 
schools  of  Germany,  and  in  1851  the  father 
and  his  five  children  emigrated  to  America. 
The  family  consisted  of  John,  who  was  after- 
ward killed  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion; 
Mary,  wife  of  Henry  Hett,  of  Wausau;  Philip, 
a  clergyman,  now  stationed  at  Valparaiso, 
Ind. ;  George,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Charles 
Klinkie,  of  Chicago.  For  two  years  they 
remained  in  New  York,  and  then  moved  to 
Chicago,  where  many  years  afterward  Kon- 
rad Werheim  died.  Our  subject  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade  at  Chicago  for  about 
three  years,  then  in  1856,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years,  he  came  to  Wausau.  For 
a  time  he  followed  his  trade,  but  later  he  be- 
gan the  manufacture  of  doors,  sashes,  blinds, 
etc.;  this  business  he  sold  out,  and  in  1881 
he  started  anew  on  a  more  e.xtensive  scale. 
Ten  years  later  a  company  was  organized, 
officered  by  Mr.  Werheim  as  president;  Phil- 
ip Werheim  as  vice-president;  Joseph  Reiser 
as  treasurer;  and  George  Werheim,  Jr.,  as 
secretary.  It  now  conducts  on  a  still  more 
extensive  scale  the  business  that  was  found- 
ed by  Mr.  Werheim,  and  on  an  average  em- 
ploys some  sixty  men. 

George  Werheim  was  married,  in  1855, 
to  Miss  Theresa  Myers,  and  to  them  five  chil- 
dren were  born:  Emma,  wife  of  Frank  Het- 
tinger, of  Chicago;  Theresa,  wife  of  Charles 
Burke,  of  Wausau;  Philip,  of  Wausau,  who 
in  1884  was  married  to  Miss  Ulrica  Kleutz; 
Mary,  married  in  1890  to  Joseph  Reiser, 
their  family  consisting  of  two  children,  John 
Raymond  and  Elsie  Elizabeth;  and  George, 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Jr.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  in  Au- 
gust, 1870,  Mr.  Werheim  was  married  in  De- 
cember, 1874,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Paulus,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  Carl  and  Aman- 
da. For  manyyears  Mr.  Werheim  has  served 
as  trustee  of  Wausau,  was  under-sheriff  one 
term,  and  for  seven  successive  years  he  served 
as  city  treasurer.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  November  6,  1894,  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  by  a  majority  of  540  votes 
over  his  opponent,  Bradd  Jones.  Mr.  Wer- 
heim is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and 
the  family  attend  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church.  During  his  active  business 
and  official  life  Mr.  Werheim  has  by  his  pub- 
lic spirit,  by  his  zeal  in  matters  of  general 
moment,  greatly  endeared  himself  to  the 
constituency  of  Marathon  county,  and  he  is 
recognized  as  one  of  its  foremost  citizens. 


HON.  WALTER  D.  McINDOE  (de- 
ceased). Not  only  as  a  business 
man  of  the  highest  character,  keen- 
est judgment  and  noblest  impulses 
was  the  subject  of  this  sketch  known 
through  northern  Wisconsin,  but  also  as  a 
profound  statesman,  a  conscientious  law- 
giver, a  patriot  of  the  highest  type. 

Mr.  Mclndoe  was  born  March  28.  18 19. 
near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  son  of  Hugh  and 
Catherine  (McRae)  Mclndoe,  formerly  of 
Dumbartonshire,  Scotland.  In  his  fifteenth 
year  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  making 
his  home  for  a  time  in  New  York  City, 
where  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  large 
mercantile  house;  later  he  was  a  salesman 
in  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
He  was  married  at  Florisant,  St.  Louis 
Co.,  Mo.,  by  Rev.  Father  Butler,  February 
20,  1845,  to  Miss  Catherine  Harriet  Ann 
Taylor,  born  in  Stafford  county,  Va. ,  July 
II,  1825,  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Cather- 
ine (Spaulding)  Taylor,  the  mother  being  a 
first  cousin  to  Archbishop  Spaulding.  In  the 
same  year  Mr.  Mclndoe  made  a  trip  to  the 
pineries  of  northern  Wisconsin.  Returning 
to  St.  Louis  he  started  again  for  Wisconsin, 
with  his  wife,  two  years  later,  in  1847,  and 
established  a  home  at  Wausau,  Marathon 
county,  where  he  devoted  all  his  energies  to 
the    development    of  the    lumber    business. 


This  was  a  year  before  Wisconsin  was  ad- 
mitted as  a  State.  Mr.  Mclndoe  was  a 
man  of  enlarged  business  views,  and  his 
operations  soon  became  quite  extensive. 
He  became  generally  known  to  the  people 
of  Wisconsin  as  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising and  prosperous  men  of  the  State. 
His  efforts  were  crowned  with  speedy  suc- 
cess, for  in  a  short  time  he  accumulated 
quite  a  respectable  fortune.  All  his  busi- 
ness transactions  were  conducted  on  liberal 
and  honorable  principles,  and  he  used  his 
means  freely  in  bestowing  comforts  upon 
those  about  him.  Few  if  any  lumbermen 
were  better  or  more  favorably  known  in  the 
business  circles  of  the  State,  or  at  the  cen- 
ters in  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley. 

Mr.  Mclndoe  was  as  prominent  in  polit- 
ical as  in  business  life.  A  man  of  strong 
convictions  and  indomitable  energy,  he  was 
of  necessity  a  potent  force  in  shaping  the 
political  status  of  the  infant  State.  In  1849 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Assembly,  and 
was  an  able  and  useful  member  of  that  body 
during  the  session  of  1850.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Whig,  and  that  part}'  being  in  the 
minority  in  the  Assembly  that  year  he  was 
less  conspicuous  perhaps  than  he  would 
have  been  had  his  party  had  the  ascen- 
dancy; yet  his  sound  practical  suggestions 
and  his  manly  bearing  gave  him  popularity 
and  standing  with  all  members,  regardless 
of  party.  In  the  session  of  1854  he  again 
represented  his  District  in  the  Assembly  in 
the  same  acceptable  manner.  In  1857  he 
was  a  prominent  candidate  for  governor 
before  the  State  Republican  Convention. 
The  contest  was  mainly  between  him  and 
Hon.  E.  D.  Holton,  but  after  a  protracted 
and  ineffectual  struggle,  as  often  happens  in 
a  situation  like  that,  a  third  candidate  was 
taken  up  in  the  person  of  Hon.  A.  W.  Ran- 
dall. In  1 862  he  was  elected  to  Congress 
to  succeed  Hon.  Luther  Hanchett,  and  in 
1864  he  was  re-elected.  While  in  Congress 
he  labored  very  earnestly  and  efficiently  for 
the  interests  of  the  Upper  Wisconsin  Valley. 
Among  the  many  measures,  favorable  to 
this  locality,  which  were  adopted  through 
his  instrumentality,  was  the  land  grant  to 
any  railroad  that  should  build  a  line  through 
the  center  of  Wisconsin    to    Lake  Superior. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPniCAL   RECORD. 


It  resulted  in  the  construction  of  the  Wis- 
consin Central  road. 

He  was  general  of  the  State  militia, 
and  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  tilled 
the  office  of  provost-marshal  of  the  State 
with  exceptional  ability.  In  1866  he  retired 
from  official  business  to  attend  to  his  large 
business  interests,  which  had  been  some- 
what neglected.  In  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Conventions  of  1856,  i860  and  1872 
he  was  a  delegate,  voting  at  these  momentous 
gatherings  for  John  C.  Fremont,  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  respectively. 
Gen.  Mclndoe  was  called  to  rest  August  22, 
1872,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  while 
yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  but  not  until  he  had 
attained  a  success  in  life,  wider  and  nobler 
than  that  which  comes  to  most  men  who 
attain  their  allotted  three  score  years  and  ten. 

As  a  politician  Gen.  Mclndoe  was  a  man 
of  rare  sagacity,  incorruptible  integrity  and 
commanding  influence.  With  strong  con- 
victions and  inflexible  will  he  was  a  tower 
of  strength  during  the  dark  daj'S  of  the  Re- 
bellion, and  his  energies  in  the  halls  of  Con- 
gress during  that  crucial  period  of  the  Na- 
tion's life  were  strained  to  give  aid  and  sus- 
tenance to  the  cause  of  national  unity.  In 
private  life  he  possessed  a  broad  and  gen- 
erous sympathy,  and  to  his  friends  he  gave 
chivalrous  devotion.  To  many  thousands  of 
men  his  death  was  a  personal  affliction.  Too 
positive  in  disposition  to  escape  opponents, 
he  always  retained  their  respect  and  admira- 
tion for  the  qualities  of  candor,  generosity 
and  endurance  which  he  displayed.  He 
could  oppose  without  vindictiveness,  and 
earnestly  advocate  without  undue  heat.  In 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word  he  was  a  self- 
made  man,  one  of  those  energetic,  self-re- 
liant men  who  in  the  tide  of  humanity  walk 
with  head  erect,  towering  above  the  sur- 
rounding masses,  and  giving  directions  to 
the  hundreds  of  men  who  fall  within  their 
influence. 

The  funeral  services  of  Gen.  Mclndoe 
were  conducted  by  the  Masonic  body,  of 
which  the  deceased  had  been  a  prominent 
member,  and  were  attended  by  some  two 
thousand  people,  many  of  whom  were  from 
abroad.  In  the  funeral  train,  at  the  par- 
ticular   request    of  Gen.    Mclndoe,    was  his 


favorite  horse,  "Dan."  Gen.  Mclndoe  was 
childless,  but  his  widow  still  survives,  an 
honored  resident  of  the  old  homestead 
at  Wausau.  Though  bereft  of  her  chosen 
companion  and  loving  consort,  she  is  com- 
forted by  a  solace  unknown  to  the  careless 
world.  Mrs.  Mclndoe  was  one  of  a  family 
of  twelve  children,  only  two  of  whom,  be- 
sides herself,  are  now  living — Spaulding 
Taylor,  a  resident  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
Philip  C.  Taylor,  late  sheriff  of  St.  Louis 
county,  Missouri. 

Hugh  Mclndoe  (deceased),  a  brother  of 
Gen.  Mclndoe,  was  born  in  Dumbarton- 
shire, Scotland,  February  26,  1832,  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1857,  and  for  twenty- 
seven  years  was  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Wausau.  He  was  associated  in  business 
with  his  brother,  and  witnessed  the  develop- 
ment of  the  little  woodland  hamlet  into  a 
prosperous  city.  He  was  one  of  those  rare 
generous  characters  whom  it  is  a  pleasure 
to  meet.  Quick  to  resent  an  insult,  he 
never  gave  one  himself;  thoughtless  of  self, 
he  would  give  his  last  penny  to  the  suffer- 
ing or  afflicted.  Unhampered  by  creed  or 
dogma,  he  stood  forth  in  the  genius  of  his 
own  nature,  an  honest  man.  His  death  oc- 
curred September  23,  1881;  his  widow  sur- 
vives, and  is  now  a  resident  of  Rhinelander, 
Wis.  Their  six  children  are  Walter  D.,  a 
lumberman,  at  Barron,  Wis.;  Thomas  B.,  a 
prominent  physician  of  Rhinelander;  Hugh, 
a  prominent  attorney,  at  Chicago;  John  B., 
of  Rhinelander;  Charles  S.,  a  dentist,  at 
Rhinelander,  and  Archibald  J.,  a  dentist,  of 
Toledo,  Ohio. 


ANDREW  G.  NELSON,  at  this  writ- 
ing serving  his  third  term  as  mayor 
of  Waupaca,  Waupaca  county,  is, 
by  his  capable  administration,  leav- 
ing an  impress  upon  that  city  that  will  long 
remain.  He  is  a  descendant  of  a  prominent 
Swedish  family.  His  grandfather,  Nels  G. 
Nelson,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Sweden,  reared 
a  family  of  five  children,  Nels,  John,  An- 
drew, Mary  and  Bertha,  all  of  whom  are 
still  living,  and  all  are  landowners.  Nels 
Nelson,  the  eldest,  and  father  of  Andrew  G., 
was  born  April  10,  1822,  and  married  Chris- 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tine  Deburg,  a  well-educated  young  lady, 
and  daughter  of  John  Deburg,  a  judge  of 
Toysse  count}'.  They  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children:  John  P.,  Andrew  G. ,  Nels 
T. ,  John  H.,  August,  Anna  and  Elizabeth. 
August  Nelson  still  lives  in  Sweden,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  lumberman.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  in  1893,  in  Sweden. 

Their  son,  Andrew  G.  Nelson,  born 
June  15,  1849,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Sweden,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
began  a  course  of  study  in  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Seffle,  Sweden,  where  he  re- 
mained two  terms.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  3'ears  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to  Amer- 
ica, his  older  brother,  John  P.,  having  come 
two  years  earlier.  When  Andrew  reached 
Waupaca,  in  1871,  his  capital  consisted  of 
$16,  but  he  soon  found  work  in  a  planing 
mill,  and  two  years  later,  forming  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  they  purchased  a  small 
planing  mill,  running  in  debt  for  almost  the 
full  amount.  Four  years  later  it  was  burned, 
a  total  loss,  for  there  was  no  insurance  upon 
the  property;  but  the  plucky  boys  rebuilt  at 
once,  and  continued  in  business  until  1888, 
when  the  brother  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Churchill,  of  Waupaca.  Thej- removed  the 
plant  to  its  present  site,  and  in  1891  Mr. 
Nelson  purchased  Mr.  Churchill's  interest, 
and  became  sole  proprietor.  He  also  bought 
the  water  power  and  built  a  custom  grist- 
mill. Still  later  he  added  a  large  lumber 
yard,  and  acquired  various  lumber  interests, 
including  a  sawmill. 

In  1875  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  to 
Hulda  Brown,  a  native  of  Waupaca,  daugh- 
ter of  C.  O.  Brown,  an  early  settler  of 
Swedish  birth,  who  followed  farming  here, 
and  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  a  county 
official  in  various  capacities.  By  this  mar- 
riage Mr.  Nelson  had  one  child,  Edwin. 
The  wife  died  in  1881,  and  in  1883  he  mar- 
ried Anna  S.  Beadmore,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Barber)  Beadmore,  early 
English  settlers  in  Waupaca  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  one  child.  Van  An- 
drew Nelson. 

Mr.  Nelson's  executive  abilities  are  of  a 
high  order,  and  have  often  been  called  into 
service  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  for  many  years  served  as  a 


member  of  the  city  council.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  county  board,  and  in  1884 
was  elected  to  the  State  Assembly;  but, 
though  he  has  since  been  urged  to  accept  a 
nomination  for  ihe  same  responsible  legisla- 
tive office,  which  would  be  equivalent  to  an 
election,  he  has  declined  the  honor.  That 
he  has  proved  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place  for  mayor,  is  evinced  by  his  many  re- 
elections.  Under  his  administration  many 
cit}'  improvements  have  been  made.  The 
city  hall,  a  beautiful  structure,  has  been 
built,  of  granite  taken  from  Waupaca's  own 
quarries;  many  streets  have  been  macadam- 
ized, and  stone  bridges  have  been  con- 
structed. Like  the  magnificent  public  vvork 
of  Mr.  Shepard  in  Washington  City,  these 
improvements,  in  after  years,  will  rise  up 
and  call  Mr.  Nelson  blessed.  The  mayor's 
public  policy,  like  that  in  his  private  busi- 
ness, has  been  marked  by  thoroughness,  en- 
durance and  honesty.  Socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 


JEROME  CROCKER,  general  mer- 
chant at  Weyauwega,  Waupaca  coun- 
ty, has  enjoyed  a  continuous  business 
career  much  longer  than  falls  to  the 
lot  of  most  men.  He  carries  a  full  line  of 
hardware  and  general  merchandise,  and, 
having  begun  business  in  1859,  has  now 
been  thirty-six  years  on  the  site  of  his  pres- 
ent store.  Mr.  Crocker  traces  his  ancestry 
back  to  Revolutionary  times. 

He  was  born  October  1 1,  1824,  in  Per- 
rysburg,  Cattaraugus  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  son  of 
Stephen  and  Polly  (Black)  Crocker.  Stephen 
Crocker  was  born  in  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y. , 
July  13,  1788,  son  of  Stephen  Crocker, 
who  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  of  Eng- 
lish Quaker  extraction,  and  who  lived  to 
the  age  of  102  years.  Stephen  Crocker, 
Jr.,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  in 
1844  moved  to  Miami  county,  Ind.,  to  land 
pre-empted  by  his  son  Jerome.  He  was  a 
Democrat  of  the  Jackson  school,  and  died 
in  1847.  Polly  (Black)  Crocker,  mother  of 
Jerome,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county, 
N.  Y. ,  July  21,  1802,  daughter  of  James 
and  Polly  (Putney)  Black,  the   father  a  na- 


cA.^^^  a. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


27, 


tive  of  New  York,  the  mother  of  Vermont. 
Stephen  and  Polly  Crocker  had  five  chil- 
dren: Mary  Jane,  who  died  June  6,  1845, 
in  New  York;  Lorinda,  wife  of  Seymour  P. 
Ensign,  of  Erie,  Penn. ;  Jerome;  Eliza,  wife 
of  Robert  Hughson,  of  Ripley,  N.  Y. ,  and 
Benjamin  Franklin,  who  died  in  New  York 
September  2,  1848.  The  mother  died  Oc- 
tober 7,  1832,  and  Stephen  Crocker  mar- 
ried Rachel,  widow  of  David  Black,  by 
which  union  he  had  one  child,  Rosetta,  wife 
of  Daniel  Risinger,  of  Kokomo,  Indiana. 

The  boyhood  of  Jerome  was  spent  on 
the  farms  of  Cattaraugus  and  Chautauqua 
counties,  N.  Y. ,  and  his  education  received 
in  the  schools  of  western  New  York  and  of 
Indiana.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered 
the  employ  of  John  Morrison  &  Co. ,  mer- 
chants, at  Nashville,  N.  Y.  Eighteen  months 
later  he  entered  the  employ  of  Smith  &  Foote, 
merchants,  at  Peru,  Ind.,  remaining  ten 
years.  In  1856  Mr.  Crocket  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, via  the  Isthmus,  and  for  three  years 
was  engaged  by  J.  A.  Cole  and  John  Stevens 
in  constructing  a  flume  from  the  Sierra 
Nevadas  to  the  mines,  an  enterprise  that  re- 
quired three  years  to  complete.  In  1859  he 
returned  from  California,  and  located  in 
the  budding  little  settlement  at  Weyauwega. 
He  at  once  entered  the  mercantile  trade, 
and  from  that  time  on  he  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  development  of 
that  locality,  being  engaged  in  various  enter- 
prises. He  was  a  prime  mover  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Badger  Basket  Factory; 
at  one  time  he  owned  the  brewery,  and  for 
a  while  he  owned  a  tin  shop.  He  was  an 
original  stockholder  in  establishing  the 
county  fair  grounds. 

Mr.  Crocker  was  married,  in  1852,  to 
Miss  Angeline  Rice,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Harriet  (Ainsworth)  Rice,  natives  of  Con- 
necticut who  became  early  settlers  of  Chau- 
tauque  county,  N.  Y. ,  and  who  afterward, 
in  1859,  removed  to  Weyauwega,  Wis. 
Mrs.  Crocker  died  February  2,  1854,  in 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.  His  second 
wife  was  Mrs.  Helen  M.  Rice,  of  Jamiestown, 
N.  Y. ,  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Mary 
Tew.  She  died  October  24,  1879,  and  in 
August,  1 88 1,  Mr.  Crocker  married  his 
present   wife,    the    widow  of  Jacob    Weed. 


Politically,  Mr.  Crocker  has  always  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  county  board.  He  owns 
a  farm  adjoining  Weyauwega,  and  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  interest  in  public  im- 
provements. Few  men  can,  as  he,  look 
back  over  the  entire  business  development 
of  Weyauwega,  noting  its  reverses,  and 
more  particularly  its  successes,  almost  from 
the  inception  of  the  settlement.  His  life  has 
been  devoted  to  its  business  interests,  and 
his  influence  felt  for  good  in  every  step  of 
progress. 


HON.  FRANCIS  A.  DELEGLISE 
(deceased),  "  the  father  of  Antigo." 
The  life  of  this  gentleman  presents 
a  striking  example  of  industry  and 
integrity  conducting  to  eminent  success,  and 
of  political  consistency  based  on  enlightened 
and  moderate  views — views  at  all  times  com- 
patible with  a  generous  toleration  of  the  sen- 
timents entertained  by  others,  and  com- 
manding general  confidence  and  esteem. 

Mr.  Deleglise  was  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, born  February  10,  1835,  in  Bagnes, 
Valais,  a  son  of  Morris  and  Catherine  Dele- 
glise, the  former  of  whom  was  by  profession 
a  teacher  and  surveyor.  In  1849.  realizing 
that  in  the  New  World  their  numerous  fam- 
ily would  have  greater  advantages  and 
broader  opportunities  for  advancement  and 
success  in  life,  they  emigrated  to  America, 
coming  direct  to  Wisconsin,  and  locating 
first  in  Gibson  township,  Manitowoc  county, 
where  the  mother  died  in  1854.  Later  the 
family  moved  to  Shawano  county,  settling 
in  Morris  township,  near  Leopolis,  where 
the  father  followed  farming,  dying  there  in 
1877.  The  son  Francis,  our  subject,  was 
fourteen  years  old  when  he  came  with  the 
rest  of  the  family  to  Wisconsin.  He  had  al- 
ready received  a  fairly  liberal  public-school 
education,  and  his  first  occupation  in  this, 
to  him,  new  country,  was  sailing  on  the 
lakes,  a  vocation  he  followed  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old,  after  which  he  worked 
in  the  woods  during  the  winter  season,  as- 
sisting his  father  in  locating  settlers,  in  sur- 
veying, and  in  many  other  ways,  to  the  best 
of  his  ability.      At  tTie  age  of  twenty-one  he 


24 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


married,  and  shortly  afterward  he  and  his 
young  wife  removed  toAppleton,  where  they 
remained  until  1877.  During  this  time  Mr. 
Deleglise  was  always  more  or  less  engaged 
in  civil  engineering,  locating  new  settlers  on 
homesteads,  and  other  employment  of  a  like 
nature,  but  during  the  first  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Appleton,  when  not  thus  occupied, 
followed  different  lines  of  work,  being  ever 
ready  to  turn  his  hand  to  any  labor  which 
would  bring  him  remuneration.  Thus  he 
continued  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion,  in  which  he  served  over 
three  years.  He  was  among  the  first  to  re- 
spond to  his  adopted  country's  call  for  vol- 
unteers, enlisting  June  28,  1861,  in  Com- 
pany E,  Sixth  Wis.  V.  I.,  Capt.  Marsten, 
of  Appleton,  commanding  the  company,  in 
which  he  was  speedily  promoted  to  corporal. 
The  regiment  was,  in  the  following  July,  at- 
tached to  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
participated  in  all  the  battles  of  the  "  Iron 
Brigade."     At    Antietam,     September     17, 

1862,  our  subject  was  wounded,  which  ne- 
cessitated his  confinement  to  hospital;  but 
he  convalesced  soon  enough  to  be  present  at 
the  battle  of   Gettysburg,  July  i,  2   and    3, 

1863,  where,  at  the  railroad  grade,  he  was 
again  wounded,  and  was  taken  prisoner.  He 
did  not  long  remain  in  the  enemy's  hands, 
however,  as  when  they  retreated  they  had 
to  leave  all  the  wounded  behind.  On  July 
16,  1864,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  service  with  the  record  of  a  valiant  sol- 
dier, one  who  did  his  duty  faithfully  and  loy- 
ally. But  he  suffered  much  in  health,  for 
when  he  enlisted  his  weight  was  190  pounds, 
and  when  he  left  for  his  home  the  scales 
showed  but  90  pounds — a  loss  of  100 
pounds;  and  he  painfully  carried  a  bullet  in 
his  thigh  till  it  was  extracted  at  Madison  at 
the  time  of  his  discharge.  While  recuperat- 
ing Mr.  Deleglise  resumed  the  study  of  civil 
engineering,  and  became  a  proficient  sur- 
veyor, in  1867  commencing  the  looking  up 
and  locating  of  lands  in  this  part  of  the 
State.  It  was  then  that  he,  in  reality,  picked 
out  the  site  for  the  future  city  of  Antigo,  en- 
tering lands  and  locating  settlers  on  home- 
steads, and  in  1877  he  settled  there  with  his 
family.  In  that  same  year  he  platted  the 
village    and    commenced    the    sale  of    lots, 


which,  and  his  after  active  connection  with 
the  place,  brought  him  the  well-merited  ti- 
tle of  ' '  Father  of  Antigo. "  He  was  the  first 
chairman  of  the  city,  and  served  as  county 
treasurer  for  some  time;  dealt  largely  in  real 
estate,  and  became  possessed  of  extensive 
tracts  of  land  in  and  around  Antigo,  having 
unbounded  faith  in  the  growth  of  the  em- 
bryo city. 

On  November  29,  1856,  Mr.  Deleglise 
was  united  in  marriage,  at  Two  Rivers, 
Wis.,  with  Miss  Mary  Bor,  who  was  born 
January  i,  1835,  in  Taus,  Bohemia,  daugh- 
ter of  Simon  and  Dora  (Kerzma)  Bor,  the 
parents  of  two  children.  The  family  came 
to  America  in  1855,  settling  at  Gibson,  Man- 
itowoc county,  and  the  father,  who  was  a 
merchant  in  Europe,  and  a  farmer  in  this 
country,  died  in  Antigo  in  1 881;  in  his  na- 
tive land  he  served  as  a  soldier  eight  years. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deleglise  were  born  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Mary  T. ,  now  Mrs.  John 
Deresch,  of  Antigo;  Sophia  E.,  wife  of 
Samuel  E.  Leslie,  of  Antigo;  Francis  A. 
(deceased);  John  E. ;  Anna  E.,  wife  of 
Thomas  Morrissey,  of  Antigo;  Adelbert  A.; 
Alexis  L. ;  Henry  (deceased),  and  Edmond, 
at  home. 

Mr.  Deleglise  was  public-spirited  and 
progressive  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to 
the  sole  of  his  foot,  and  the  primary  and 
great  object  of  his  ambition  was  the  devel- 
opment and  improvement  of  the  village, 
town  and  city  where  he  passed  so  many  busy 
years  of  his  life.  He  was  liberal  in  all 
things,  especially  in  Church  and  educational 
matters,  in  which  latter  he  took  special  in- 
terest; in  politics,  he  was,  during  the  war,  a 
Democrat,  later  a  Republican,  and  in  1892 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legiskiture, 
where  he  made  a  brilliant  record  as  a  legis- 
lator. In  all  things  he  w'as  a  most  success- 
ful man,  and  when  he  died  he  left  not  only 
large  landed  interests  in  northern  Wiscon- 
sin, but  the  record  of  one  whose  memory  is 
inseparably  connected  with  the  rise  and 
progress  of  this  portion  of  the  State,  in  al4 
his  efforts  toward  the  consummation  of  which 
he  was  instigated  by  no  spirit  of  selfishness 
or  gain  to  himself  beyond  what  is  conceded 
to  be  a  right  due  to  every  American  citizen. 
He  died  March  25,  1894,  in  the  full  faith  of 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


25 


the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  beloved  and 
respected  by  all,  regardless  of  party  or  re- 
ligion, and  deeply  mourned  by  hosts  of 
friends  and  acquaintances,  as  a  man,  locally 
speaking,  not  of  to-day  alone,  but  for  all 
time. 


WILLIAM  H.  WEED.  In  every 
community  there  are  families  that 
by  their  strong  personality  make 
deep  and  lasting  impression  upon 
the  people  about  them,  and  by  their  well- 
guided  energies  give  direction  and  momen- 
tum to  the  forming  and  growing  industries 
about  them.  To  no  one,  perhaps,  is  the 
town  of  Weyauwega  more  greatly  indebt- 
ed for  its  early  prosperity  than  to  Jacob 
Weed,  one  of  its  founders.  He  was  a  mas- 
ter spirit,  fitted  and  willing  to  grapple  with 
the  problems  and  difficulties  that  must  be 
solved  and  overcome  in  order  to  make  an 
obscure  and  unpromising  locality  smile  with 
the  lasting  fruits  of  industry.  The  son  of 
Air.  Weed,  in  the  person  of  him  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  is  now  at  the  helm  in  di- 
recting some  of  the  most  important  enter- 
prises of  Weyauwega. 

Jacob  Weed  was  born  October  27,  18 19, 
in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y. ,  a  son  of  Alfred 
and  Rolina  (Hewett)  Weed,  natives  of  that 
county.  Their  children  were  nine  in  num- 
ber, as  follows:  Harriet,  deceased  wife  of 
Matthew  West,  a  pioneer  of  Oshkosh;  Wal- 
ter H.,  a  prominent  merchant  and  lumber- 
man of  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  who  died  in  1876; 
Jacob;  James  H.,  a  resident  of  Oshkosh; 
Sarah,  deceased  wife  of  Corydon  L.  Rich, 
of  Oshkosh  township,  Winnebago  county; 
Mary,  first  wife  of  William  G.  Gumaer.  died 
in  1856;  Priscilla,  second  wife  of  William 
G.  Gumaer,  died  in  Weyauwega  in  1876; 
Alfred,  a  resident  of  .Ashland,  Wis.  ;  and 
Carolina,  wife  of  Homer  Chandler,  of  Chi- 
cago, Illinois. 

The  education  of  Jacob  Weed  was  re- 
ceived in  the  common  schools  of  Wayne 
county,  N.  Y.  In  1847,  with  his  two 
brothers,  Walter  H.  and  James  H.,  became 
to  Wisconsin,  settling  in  Vinland  township, 
Winnebago  county,  where  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  800  acres  in  the  forest,  and  became 


actively  identified  in  developing  the  lumber 
interests  of  that  locality.  Here  he  was 
married,  in  1849,  to  Miss  Ann  Elizabeth 
Gumaer,  a  native  of  Onondaga  county, 
N.  Y. ,  reared  and  educated  in  Washington, 
D.  C. ,  and  a  daughter  of  Elias  De  Puy  and 
Mary  (Lewis)  Gumaer,  natives  of  Ulster 
county,  N.  Y.  Elias  D.  Gumaer  was  a  con- 
tractor of  public  works.  He  built,  as  a 
contractor,  part  of  the  Erie  canal,  and 
while  completing  a  contract  to  construct  the 
canal  from  Georgetown,  D.  C,  to  the  Navy 
Yard,  was  prostrated  with  quick  consump- 
tion, and  died  soon  after,  in  1844,  at  his 
home  in  Manlius,  N.  Y.  His  widow  and 
many  of  the  children  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  the  latter  became  closely  identified 
with  the  development  of  the  State.  There 
were  nine  children:  Ann  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Jacob  Weed;  Margaret,  wife  of  Jacob  Dev- 
ens,  of  Vinland  township,  Winnebago  coun- 
ty, died  in  1880;  Martha,  wife  of  Louis 
Bostedo,  a  pioneer  of  Weyauwega,  died  in 
1 881;  Jane,  widow  of  Richard  Holdsworth, 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  her  present  home 
being  at  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y. ;  Emily,  who  died 
in  Oshkosh  in  1876;  Mary,  wife  of  Walter 
H.  Weed,  of  Oshkosh,  died  in  1877;  Elias 
De  Puy,  who  was  the  first  county  judge  of 
Shawano  county,  and  who  died  in  Shawano 
in  1879;  William  G. ,  a  prominent  pioneer 
of  Weyauwega,  who  died  in  November, 
1885,  and  Charles  L.,  a  former  prominent 
resident  of  Weyauwega,  and  now  a  resident 
of  Lincoln,    Nebraska. 

After  his  marriage  Jacob  Weed  settled 
in  Winnebago  county,  and  with  his  brothers 
built  up  a  lumbering  and  mercantile  busi- 
ness which  gradually  extended  into  Wau- 
paca county.  As  early  as  1 848  Amos  Dodge, 
James  Hicks,  M.  Lewis  and  H.  Tourtelotte 
obtained  possession  of  a  fine  water-power 
on  the  site  of  Weyauwega,  and  erected  a 
dam  and  mill.  The  enterprise  encountered 
financial  embarrassments,  and  led  a  precari- 
ous existence  for  a  number  of  years,  until 
sold  to  Jacob  Weed  and  Benjamin  Birdsell. 
W.  G.  Gumaer  and  Louis  Bostedo  after- 
ward acquired  an  interest  in  the  property, 
and  in  1855  Weed,  Birdsell  &  Co.  erected 
the  Hour-mill  still  operated  by  the  Weed 
and  Gumaer  Manufacturing  Co.,  the  original 


26 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cost  of  building,  machinery,  etc.,  being  $20,- 
000.  The  business  Hfe  of  Jacob  Weed  was 
very  active.  Frequent!}-  he  made  trips  afoot 
to  Green  Bay,  and  rarely  knew  the  meaning 
of  a  leisure  moment.  Yet  his  mind  was  al- 
ways receptive  to  charitable  or  public  enter- 
prises, and  he  is  kindly  remembered  for  his 
many  deeds  of  benevolence  and  public  im- 
provement. He  died  in  1867,  and  his  widow 
subsequently  married  Jerome  Crocker,  a 
prominent  merchant  and  manufacturer  of 
Weyauwega.  To  Jacob  Weed  and  wife  two 
children  were  born — William  H.,  and  Ella 
v.,  wife  of  A.  J.  Kirkwood,  of  Chicago,  111. 
Mrs.  Kirkwood's  children  are  Ella  Weed 
and  Arthur  William. 

William  H.  W^eed,  president  of  the  Weed 
&  Gumaer  Manufacturing  Co.,  secretary  of 
the  Badger  Basket  Manufacturing  Co.,  and 
an  associate  in  the  banking  firm  of  Weed, 
Gumaer  &  Co. ,  is  one  of  the  most  progress- 
ive and  thorough  business  men  of  Waupaca 
county.  He  was  born  at  Vinland,  Winne- 
bago county,  in  185 1,  and  his  youth  and 
boyhood  were  spent  at  Weyauwega,  and  his 
education  obtained  in  the  home  schools  and 
at  Oshkosh.  In  1870,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years,  he  became  associated  with  the 
Weyauwega  Bank,  giving  it  his  exclusive  at- 
tention until  1883,  when  he  was  elected  the 
vice-president  of  the  milling  company,  and 
in  1890  was  advanced  to  its  presidency. 
The  output  of  the  mill  is  1 50  barrels  per 
day,  and  the  company,  besides  in  flour  and 
feed,  deals  extensively  in  lumber,  lath,  shin- 
gles and  moldings.  The  Badger  Basket 
Manufacturing  Co.  was  organized  in  1884, 
Mr.  Weed  being  one  of  its  active  promoters. 
The  building  was  erected  the  same  year, 
and  twenty-six  employes  are  required  to 
manufacture  the  product  for  which  the  en- 
ergetic owners  find  a  ready  market.  The 
building  is  a  two-story  structure,  40  x  60 
feet  in  size.  The  mill  building  is  a  substan- 
tial structure,  45  x  50  feet,  two-and-a-half 
stories  high,  with  an  oval  elevator  having  a 
storage  capacity  of  30.000  bushels.  It  is  a 
fully-equipped  roller-mill,  with  two  systems 
for  wheat  and  r3-e.  The  planing  and  saw 
mill  is  a  two-story  structure  40  x  60  feet. 

Mr.  Weed  was  married  at  Weyauwega, 
in  1879,  to  Miss  Jennie  Smith,  a  native  of 


Berlin,  Wis.  She  died  in  1882,  leaving  one 
child,  Jacob.  In  1886  Mr.  Weed  was  mar- 
ried at  Waupaca  to  Miss  Margaret  Reed, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Myron  and  JuHa  (Hanson) 
Reed.  Mr.  Reed  was  born  in  Massena,  St. 
Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  September  19,  1836. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  Union  Academy,  Belleville,  N.  Y. 
Entering  the  law  school  at  Albany  Univer- 
sity in  1857,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1858.  The  following  year  he  came  to  Wau- 
paca, Wis.,  and  formed  a  law  partnership 
with  E.  L.  Browne,  O.  E.  Druetzer  and  M. 
H.  Sessions,  which  continued  until  187 1. 
Mr.  Reed  was  prominent  in  county  politics, 
and  filled  many  local  offices,  including  those 
of  mayor,  clerk,  supervisor,  etc.  In  1871 
he  was  elected  State  senator,  his  own  part- 
ner contesting  on  the  opposite  ticket  for  the 
honor.  While  in  the  Senate  he  secured,  al- 
most by  his  own  unaided  efforts,  the  adop- 
tion of  Article  4  of  the  amendment  to  the 
Constitution.  Mr.  Reed  has  been  grand 
master  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  high  priest 
of  Waupaca  Chapter  No.  39,  R.  A.  M., 
Master  of  Waupaca  Lodge  No.  123,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  West  Su- 
perior, Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Weed  is  a  member  and  treasurer  of 
Weyauwega  Lodge  No.  82,  and  a  member 
of  Waupaca  Chapter  No.  123,  R.  A.  M.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  county  board. 


DEWTTT  S.  JOHNSON,  the  popular 
and  courteous  postmaster  at  Rhine- 
lander,  Oneida    count}',  is   a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  born  July  23,  1851,  in 
the  city  of  Appleton. 

William  Johnson,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  July  27,  181 1,  at  Philadelphia, 
Penn.,  and  his  earliest  recollection  was  of 
life  in  Columbia  county,  in  the  same  State, 
where  he  received  such  tuition  as  the  coun- 
try schools  of  that  period  afforded.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  very  young,  and 
the  family  became  separated.  William 
lived  with  a  cousin  on  a  farm  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age,  and  passed  the  follow- 
ing two  years  in  learning  the  wagon-mak- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPniCAL    RECORD. 


27 


er's  trade.  Proceeding  to  Oswego,  N.  Y., 
where  a  brother  was  living,  he  remained  in 
that  place  eleven  years,  during  which  time 
he  became  master  also  of  the  carpenter's 
trade.  Locating  at  Syracuse,  he  for  five 
years  was  there  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  at  the  end  of  that  period  moving 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  followed  the 
same  line  of  business  some  five  years. 
Among  buildings  for  which  he  had  contracts 
were  a  cut-stone  hotel  at  Syracuse,  costing 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars;  another  at 
Oswego,  costing  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars;  numerous  fine  buildings  in 
New  York  City,  and  many  costly  residences 
at  Brooklyn  Heights.  In  1850,  having  met 
with  serious  business  reverses,  he  arranged 
his  affairs  as  advantageously  as  possible, 
and  came  to  Appleton,  which  was  then  in 
the  midst  of  a  decidedly  new  region,  as  far  as 
settlements  were  concerned.  Here  he  joined 
his  wife's  father,  Amos  A.  Story,  who  had 
the  contract  for  building  the  Green  Bay  & 
Mississippi  canal,  from  the  Wisconsin  river 
to  Green  Bay,  and  Mr.  Johnson,  who  was 
made  foreman,  was  engaged  on  this  work 
about  two  years  when  the  company  sold  out. 
He  then  proceeded  to  Chicago  and  entered 
into  contract  to  build  depots  for  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  remaining  with 
that  company  three  years.  Upon  his  return 
to  Appleton  he  became  interested  with  oth- 
ers in  the  sawmill  business,  but  sold  his  in- 
terest in  1 87 1,  and  in  company  with  Mr. 
Mory  built  a  gristmill;  disposing,  however, 
of  his  share  of  the  property  inside  of  two 
years,  he  began  the  manufacture  of  rakes, 
seed-sowers  and  woodwork  of  all  descrip- 
tions. Meeting  with  fresh  reverses  about 
two  years  later,  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish 
that  line  of  work,  after  which  he  was  not 
steadily  engaged  in  business.  He  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  a  number  of 
buildings,  and  busied  himself  in  various 
ways,  but  a  few  years  preceding  his  death 
he  lived  a  retired  life.  Mr.  Johnson  died 
November  19,  1894,  aged  eighty-three  years, 
in  which  connection  we  glean  the  following 
from  the  Appleton  Daily  Post  of  November 
20,  the  day  after: 

"William    Johnson,    who   was    stricken 
with  paralysis  Sunday,  continued  to  fail  in 


strength  all  day  yesterday.  Last  night  the 
end  came  quietly,  and  his  spirit  entered  into 
the  great  hereafter  to  claim  the  reward  of  a 
well-spent  life.  Mr.  Johnson  had  been  a 
resident  of  Appleton  for  forty-four  years,  and 
during  all  that  period  possessed  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  to  a 
degree  which  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  men.  In 
his  passing  is  removed  another  of  the  sturdy 
personalities  which  bind  the  Appleton  of  the 
present  to  that  Appleton  of  the  early  '  fifties  ' 
which  was  little  more  than  a  name  and  a 
clearing  in  the  virgin  iorest." 

In  politics  Mr.  Johnson  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  served  as  city  treasurer,  alderman, 
and  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors; 
was  also  mayor  of  Appleton  three  terms  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  In  1867  he 
was  appointed  United  States  collector  of 
customs  for  this  District,  the  duties  of  which 
office  he  discharged  for  two  years.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  twenty-five 
years,  and  became  an  Odd  Fellow  in  1842, 
being  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  oldest 
member  of  the  latter  organization  in  Apple- 
ton.  He  was  married  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
May  18,  1845,  to  Miss  Lydia  Sophia  Story, 
a  native  of  that  State,  daughter  of  Amos  A. 
and  Sarah  (Tourtelotte)  Story,  and  eight 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  viz. :  Amos 
A.,  DeW^itt  S.,  Sarah  Lois,  Frances  S.,  Ina 
B.  and  John  Allen,  living,  and  Lina  B.  and 
William  B.,  deceased.  John  Johnson,  grand- 
father of  William  Johnson,  was  a  mason  by 
trade.  He  married  Hannah  Duberry,  and 
reared  a  family  of  seven  children — Charles, 
David,  James  P.,  Gilbert,  Eliza,  William 
and  Ellen. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines,  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch,  received  his 
education  at  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city,  and  deciding  on  making  the  printing 
trade  his  life  work  commenced  at  the  age  of 
twenty- one  to  inquire  into  its  many  mys- 
teries in  the  office  of  the  Crescent  at  Apple- 
ton,  finishing  his  apprenticeship  in  the  River- 
side Job  Office,  Milwaukee,  in  which  latter 
establishment  he  remained  two  j'ears.  Sub- 
sequently taking  up  his  residence  in  Manito- 
woc, he  had  charge  there  of  the  Pilot  one 
year,  thence  returned  to  Appleton,  where  he 
served  as  foreman  in  the  office  of  the  Ci\s- 


28 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


cent  until  1884,  at  which  time  he  went  to 
Merrill,  working  at  his  trade  there  a  few 
months.  In  1885  he  established  the  ]\\-st 
Merrill  Herald,  which  paper  he  in  the  fall 
of  the  following  year  moved  to  Rhinelander, 
changing  its  name  to  Oneida  County  Herald, 
and  conducting  it  up  to  some  time  in  1890, 
when  he  sold  it  out,  having  been  elected  to 
the  office  of  register  of  deeds  for  Oneida 
county.  This  incumbency  he  filled  until 
1894,  in  which  year  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  postmaster  at  Rhinelander,  his  pres- 
ent position. 

In  1S74,  at  Appleton,  Wis.,  Mr.  Johnson 
was  married  to  Miss  Beulah  A.  Johnson,  of 
Clinton,  Wis.,  daughter  of  Job  J.  and  Kate 
(Strobridge)  Johnson,  well-to-do  farming 
people,  both  natives  of  Cortland  county,  N. 
Y. ,  the  parents  of  four  children — Seth,  Jay, 
Beulah  A.  and  Ellen.  Both  parents  died  in 
1892,  within  one  week.  To  this  marriage 
of  Mr.  Johnson  there  were  born  three  chil- 
dren— DeWitt  S.,  Jr.,  Bryant  A.  and  Beulah 
A.  The  mother  of  these  died  in  1881,  and 
in  1889,  at  Rhinelander,  Mr.  Johnson  for  his 
second  wife  married  Miss  Maud  Jenkinson, 
who  was  born  in  Brandon,  Wis.,  the  result 
of  which  union  is  one  child — George  William 
— whose  mother  was  called  to  her  long  home 
in  January,  1892.  In  politics  our  subject  is 
a  stanch  Democrat,  and  has  always  been  a 
leader  in  his  party;  was  a  delegate  to  the 
State  convention  that  elected  Peck  governor 
of  Wisconsin  the  first  time.  Socially  he  is 
a  member  of  the  I.O.O.F.  In  1874,  when 
he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  paid  a 
year's  visit  to  the  Pacific  coast,  spending 
most  of  his  time  in  San  Francisco. 


DANIEL  HAIGHTPULCIFER,  than 
whom  there  is  no  one  better  known 
throughout  the  entire  State  of  Wis- 
consin, in  both   public   and   private 
life,  is  a  man  of  whom   the  city  and  county 
of  Shawano  may  well  feel  proud. 

He  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  at 
Vergennes,  Addison  county,  November  16, 
1834,  and  comes  of  a  sturdy  race,  for  the 
most  part  farmers  who  live  by  honest  toil  in 
the  valleys  of  the  Green  Mountains.  His 
father,    John  Pulcifer,  a  ship  carpenter  by 


trade,  and  a  native  of  New  York  State, 
married  Mary  Haight,  who  was  of  the  same 
nativity,  and  they  had  a  family  of  thirteen 
children,  six  of  them  being  sons — of  whom 
the  following  reached  maturity:  Daniel  H., 
subject  of  sketch;  Edwin  D.,  a  wealthy 
farmer  of  Plainview,  Pierce  Co.,  Neb., 
where  he  is  prominent  in  local  politics  as  a 
stanch  Republican;  and  Jane  E.,  Mrs. 
Charles  Connely,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ; 
Mary  E.,  Mrs.  Dennis  Darling,  of  near 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  Martha  E.,  Mrs.  William 
H.  Wright,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  Bertha, 
Mrs.  David  Jones,  of  Shawano,  Wis. ;  and 
Dora  R. ,  Mrs.  Parmalee  W.  Ackerman,  of 
Shawano,  Wisconsin. 

Owing  to  an  unfortunate  infirmity,  the 
father  of  this  large  family  was  unable  to 
wholl}'  support  them,  and  as  a  consequence 
much  fell  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  eldest 
son,  our  subject,  who  for  some  years  was 
the  mainstay  of  the  famil}',  the  entire  sup- 
port, in  fact;  but  he  was  equal  to  the  task, 
as  the  spirit  of  determination  and  resolute- 
ness, which  has  so  forcibly  characterized  his 
entire  after  life,  was  a  dominant  feature  in 
his  boyhood  years.  Thus  it  can  be  readily 
understood  how  it  was  that  his  education 
was  so  limited  that  at  the  age  of  twenty  he 
could  read  with  great  difficulty,  and  write 
not  at  all,  much  of  what  he  did  know  hav- 
ing been  gained  by  practical  experience  in  a 
country  printing  office  which  he  entered  as  an 
apprentice  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  at 
Whitehall,  N.  Y. ,  and  where  he  had  to  do 
all  the  chores  that  usually  fall  to  the  lot  of 
a  happy  printer's  "devil.  "  In  1855,  ^t  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  migrated  to 
Wisconsin,  locating  at  Oasis,  Waushara 
county;  but  in  February,  1865,  he  removed 
to  Shawano,  where  his  energ}',  honesty  and 
genial  temperament  soon  made  him  one  of 
the  popular  citizens  of  that  new  section. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  some  more  news- 
paper-office experience,  where  he  had  little 
difficulty  in  appreciating  the  necessity  of  im- 
proving what  little  education  he  had,  and, 
with  all  the  energy  of  a  strong  physical  and 
mental  constitution,  he  proceeded  with  a 
fixed  determination,  not  onlj-  to  learn  but 
even  to  excel,  if  possible.  In  the  spring  of 
1858  he  made  a  bold  dash  into  the  arena  of 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


journalism  by  starting,  at  Pine  River,  Wis., 
the  Pine  Rive?-  Arff!is,\vh\da  soon  afterward 
was  merged  into  the  WaiisharaCoiinty Argus, 
the  plant  being  removed  to  Wautoma,  where 
Mr.  Pulcifer  succeeded,  by  ingenuity  and 
finessing,  in  securing  the  county  printing, 
taking  it  out  of  the  hands  of  another  office, 
and  this  proved  a  source  of  considerable 
profit  to  him.  Later  he  sold  out  the  Argus, 
and  became  editor  of  the  Plover  Times,  at 
Plover,  Portage  county;  still  later  he  be- 
came editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Columbus 
Republiean,  at  Columbus,  Wis.,  so  continu- 
ing until  in  1863  he  became  connected  with 
the  Commonwcaltli,  at  Fond  du  Lac  (daily 
and  weekly),  as  local  editor.  Severing  his 
connection  with  this  journal  in  February, 
1865,  Mr.  Pulcifer  came,  as  already  related, 
to  Shawano  (his  family  following  him  a 
few  daj'S  later),  to  take  charge  of  the 
Journal,  a  thriving  newspaper  of  that  city, 
with  which  he  was  connected  some  time.  In 
1889  he  became  a  member  of  the  present 
firm  of  Kuckuk  &  Pulcifer,  general  mer- 
chants, Shawano. 

Our  subject  filled  various  offices,  among 
them  those  of  clerk  of  the  court,  sheriff  and 
deputy  U.  S.  marshal,  and  served  three 
terms  as  mayor  of  the  city  of  Shawano.  In 
1866  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  Dis- 
trict of  which  Shawano  county  formed  a 
part  in  the  Assembly,  and  was  again  chosen 
in  187S,  each  time  by  an  unusual  majority. 
He  was  also  sergeant-at-arms  of  the  Assem- 
bly in  1880.  As  a  legislator  he  was  practical 
and  influential.  His  firm  convictions,  clear 
perception,  and  affable,  though  brusque, 
manner,  made  him  a  universal  favorite  with 
members  of  both  political  parties.  He  com- 
piled the  Blue  Book  for  1879,  and  did  it  as 
well  as  it  had  ever  been  done  before  or  has 
been  since.  In  1882  he  was  appointed,  by 
Postmaster-general  Howe,  post  office  in- 
spector, and  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
shrewdest  and  most  valuable  officials  in 
that  most  difficult  branch  of  the  service. 
Reminiscences  of  his  experience  would  make 
an  interesting  volume,  and  thousands  of  post 
offices  were  subject  to  his  examination. 
Among  those  agencies  of  Uncle  Sam  he  was 
noted  for  his  patient  kindness  in  giving  in- 
struction and   counsel  to  the  inexperienced, 


and  in  meting  out  justice  fearlessly  in  cases 
of  dishonesty  or  wilful  negligence.  Patience, 
shrewdness,  industry  and  cool  judgment  are 
requisites  of  a  successful  inspector,  and  few 
officials  possess  these  qualities  in  a  greater 
degree  than  did  Mr.  Pulcifer.  He  was  con- 
tinuously retained  in  his  position  in  spite  of 
political  changes,  serving  as  inspector  under 
Postmaster-general  Howe,  Gen.  Gresham, 
Frank  Hatton,  William  F.  Vilas,  Don  E. 
Dickinson,  John  Wanamaker  and  W.  S. 
Bissell,  under  all  of  which  administrations 
he  was  never  once  censured  for  failing  to  do 
the  work  assigned  to  him.  His  duties  in 
the  capacity  of  post  office  inspector  took  him 
into  thirty  other  States  and  Territories,  and 
his  labors  in  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Mississip- 
pi, North  Carolina,  Virginia  and  other 
Southern  States  gave  him  a  rare  oppor- 
tunity to  acquaint  himself  with  the  customs 
and  habits  of  the  people  of  those  sections; 
and  his  after  conversations  about  them  and 
their  ways  were  regarded  by  his  friends  as 
being  "as  entertaining  as  a  lecture."  As 
sheriff  he  was  known  for  his  utter  fearless- 
ness in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  On  sev- 
eral occassions  he  arrested  parties  who 
drew  revolvers  and  knives  on  him,  but 
Sheriff  Pulcifer  was  always  quick  and  strong 
enough  to  arrest  his  man  without  serious  in- 
jury, although  he  was  wounded  on  one  oc- 
casion, necessitating  a  painful  and  dangerous 
surgical  operation. 

On  July  6,  1856,  Mr.  Pulcifer  was  mar- 
ried at  Oasis,  Waushara  Co.,  Wis.,  to  Miss 
Anna  E.  Wright,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  May  26,  1840,  whence  when  a 
girl  she  accompanied  her  parents,  Orvil  and 
Emily  Wright,  to  Wisconsin,  their  first  new 
western  home  being  made  at  Kenosha.  Mr. 
Wright  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  who  drove 
his  own  team  all  the  way  from  New  York 
State  to  Wisconsin.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  H. 
Pulcifer  were  born  children  as  follows:  Or- 
vil W. ,  who  was  a  farmer  in  South  Dakota, 
dj'ing  there  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  John  H.,  a  prosperous  merchant  of 
Shawano,  who  married  Laura  E.  McLaugh- 
lin, at  White  Lake,  S.  D.,  in  1S85;  Charles, 
deceased  in  infancy,  and  Mary  E.,  now 
Mrs.  Anton  Kuckuk,  of  Shawano.  In  his 
political  preferences  Mr.  Pulcifer  has  always 


30 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


been  a  stanch  Republican  since  the  organi- 
zation of  that  party,  and  he  was  the  first 
man,  in  the  Republican  State  Convention 
of  1880,  to  vote  for  Gen.  Grant  (as  a  dele- 
gate from  the  First  Senatorial  District). 
During  the  Harrison  Convention  of  1892, 
held  at  Minneapolis,  he  was  appointed  mes- 
senger, duties  of  importance  and  secrecy 
connected  with  the  Convention  being  en- 
trusted to  him.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  he 
was  never  beaten  as  a  candidate  for  office, 
and  that  he  always  ran  largely  ahead  of  his 
ticket.  Few  men  have  done  more  effective 
work  for  their  party;  but  in  the  performance 
of  official  duties  he  knew  no  party,  no  friend, 
no  enemy — he  simply  did  his  duty,  and  al- 
ways did  it  well.  Socially  Mr.  Pulcifer  is  a 
Freemason,  and  was  instrumental  in  estab- 
lishing a  Lodge  of  that  Fraternity  at  Sha- 
wano. He  has  always  been  a  total  abstain- 
er, and  has  taken  a  more  or  less  active  part 
in  the  temperance  cause,  for  several  j-ears 
past  having  been  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Temple  of  Honor  in  Wisconsin,  in  which 
Order  he  in  18S3-84  was  grand  chief  tem- 
plar of  the  State. 

Mr.  Pulcifer  owns  one  of  the  finest  pri- 
vate collections  of  minerals,  curios,  etc.,  to 
be  found  in  the  State,  many  of  which  are  of 
much  value;  and  besides  what  he  has  in  his 
own  cabinet  he  has  presented  many  interest- 
ing specimens  to  the  Wisconsin  State  His- 
torical Society  and  to  Lawrence  University, 
Appleton.  His  collection  is  the  result  of 
fifteen  years  research  throughout  the  several 
States  he  has  visited,  and  to  give  an  idea  as 
to  its  value  it  may  be  further  mentioned 
that  Mr.  Pulcifer  carries  an  insurance  on  it 
of  $500.00.  He  has  amassed  considerable 
property,  owns  a  pleasant  home  in  Sha- 
wano, with  large,  fine,  well-kept  lawn, 
shaded  with  pines  and  oaks.  The  village  of 
Pulcifer,  in  Green  Valley  township,  Sha- 
wano county,  was  named  in  his  honor.  Such 
is  a  brief  sketch  of  one  of  Wisconsin's  typi- 
cal self-made  men  and  representative  suc- 
cessful business  citizens,  one  possessed  of 
much  natural  ability,  supported  by  a  due  al- 
lowance of  courage,  acumen  and,  perhaps 
best  of  all,  sound  judgment  in  all  his  acts, 
and  to  be  relied  upon  as  a  friend  under  all 
circumstances. 


HON.  P.  B.  CHAMPAGNE  (deceased). 
The  gentleman,  whose  life  we  pro- 
pose to  here  briefly  sketch,  in  his  day 
laid  no  claims  to  political  distinction, 
far  less  to  military  renown.  His  triumphs 
may  have  been  of  a  less  brilliant  order;  but 
whether  less  associated  with  the  well-being 
of  his  race,  and  with  developing  the  re- 
sources, and  fortifying  the  powers  of  the  na- 
tion than  those  of  a  political  leader  or  a 
military  chieftain,  the  true  friends  of  human- 
ity must  judge. 

Mr.  Champagne  was  a  Canadian  by  birth, 
born  in  St.  Felix  de  Valois,  Jolliette  county. 
Province  of  Quebec,  December  8,  1845,  son 
of  Nelson  and  Amelia  Champagne,  well-to- 
do  farming  people,  natives  of  France,  who 
emigrated  to  Canada,  where  they  married 
and  had  children  as  follows:  Three  sons — 
P.  B.,  John  N.  and  Nasaire — and  two  daugh- 
ters— Mrs.  L.  Coulters  and  Mrs.  R.  Bressett, 
of  whom  two  sons  and  two  daughters  are 
living  with  their  widowed  mother  at  the  old 
home  in  Canada;  the  father  died  several 
years  ago.  At  the  schools  of  his  place  of 
birth  our  subject  received  his  education,  and 
when  seventeen  years  old,  in  1862,  he  came 
to  Wisconsin,  locating  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Wood  county,  where  he  found  employment 
with  Francis  Byron,  a  lumberman,  with 
whom  he  worked  some  time,  later,  for  one 
winter,  lumbering  for  H.  A.  Keyes,  who  aft- 
erward said  of  Mr.  Champagne:  "  He  was 
a  hard  worker,  one  who  took  as  much  inter- 
est in  my  affairs  as  if  they  were  his  own,  and 
I  never  employed  a  better  man."  After  that 
winter  Mr.  Champagne  returned  to  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Byron,  and  with  him  remained, 
in  the  capacity  of  superintendent  of  logging, 
until  embarking  in  business  for  his  own  ac- 
count. For  two  years  he  followed  mercan- 
tile trade  at  Wausau,  Marathon  county,  aft- 
er which  he  returned  to  the  lumber  business, 
continuing  to  make  his  home,  however,  in 
Wausau  until  1880.  When  he  sold  out  his 
store  at  Wausau  he  moved  to  Grand  P"ather 
Rock  Falls,  Lincoln  county,  where  his  fam- 
ily spent  their  winters,  their  real  home  being 
in  Wausau,  in  order  to  be  near  his  logging 
interests,  and  the  post  office  at  that  place 
was  named  in  his  honor.  When  the  town 
of  Rock  Falls  was  organized  he  represented 


/Mgi^y^, 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


31 


it  at  the  county  board  three  years.  In  1882 
he  moved  to  Merrill  (at  that  time  called 
"Jenny"),  Lincoln  county,  and  he  rerepre- 
sented  the  town  of  Jenny  at  the  county 
board.  In  1881  he  incorporated  the  Lin- 
coln Lumber  Co.,  from  which  he  soon  after- 
ward withdrew,  and  built  the  mill  now  owned 
by  the  Champagne  Lumber  Co. ;  then  or- 
ganized the  P.  B.  Champagne  Lumber  Co., 
he  being  president  and  treasurer.  This  con- 
cern was  in  turn  succeeded  by  the  Cham- 
pagne Lumber  Co.,  our  subject  being  treas- 
urer and  general  manager  thereof,  which 
position  he  was  filling  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  the  most  extensive  lumber- 
man on  the  Wisconsin  river,  and  was  pos- 
sessed of  superior  business  ability,  which 
enabled  him  to  weather  every  financial  storm, 
of  which,  in  his  wide  and  long  experience, 
there  were  not  a  few. 

Mr.  Champagne  passed  from  earth  July 
I,  1 89 1,  after  an  illness  of  four  weeks,  and 
had  the  largest  and  most  imposing  funeral 
ever  held  in  Merrill.  It  was  conducted  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
special  trains  bringing  mourning  friends  and 
brother  Masons  from  Wausau,  Grand  Rapids, 
Marshfield,  Stevens  Point  and  many  other 
places.  He  was  a  most  progressive  business 
man,  engaged  in  many  enterprises,  was  very 
public-spirited,  and  made  many  friends, 
who  one  and  all  mourned  the  taking 
away  of  a  good  citizen.  In  the  early 
days  of  Lincoln  county  he  was  a  con- 
spicuous member  of  all  the  Republican 
gatherings,  for  a  long  time  was  chairman  of 
the  Republican  County  Committee,  and  to 
him  was  due  in  the  main,  the  success  of  that 
party  in  the  county.  In  1883  he  was  sent 
to  the  Assembly  to  represent  his  District,  but 
declined  re-election,  though  he  served  with 
distinction  and  eminent  ability.  In  Merrill 
he  did  the  heaviest  mercantile  business  of 
any,  and  was  never  tired  of  giving  both  time 
and  money  toward  the  advancement  and 
prosperity  of  that  then  rising  young  city. 
To  the  stock  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Merrill  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  subscribe, 
and  was  vice-president  of  the  Merrill  Rail- 
way and  Lighting  Co.  Socially,  he  was  an 
enthusiastic  Free  Mason,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  of  the  32nd  degree.      Prom- 


inent among  his  numerous  friends  was  Alex- 
ander Stewart — a  bosom  friend,  he  may  be 
called  —  who  was  Mr.  Champagne's  first 
backer  in  business.  Truly  he  was  a  remark- 
able man,  one  at  all  times  commanding  the 
esteem  of  his  fellowmen  —  rich  and  poor 
alike — for  he  was  universally  esteemed  and 
beloved. 

On  July  29,  1 87 1,  Mr.  Champagne  was 
married,  at  Nile,  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  to 
Miss  Alice  G.  Coon,  youngest  daughter  of 
Elijah  H.  and  Prudence  (Bowler)  Coon,  and 
three  children  were  born  to  them — Percy 
Beaugrand,  now  (September,  1895),  twenty- 
three  years  old,  a  graduate  of  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.,  class  of '94  (he  is  practicing  law  in 
Detroit,  Mich.);  Marie  and  Stella,  attending 
school  at  Kenosha,  Wisconsin. 


WR.  BINKELMAN.  There  is  per- 
haps no  more  prominent  busi- 
ness man  in  the  northern  part  of 
Waupaca  county  than  Mr.  Binkel- 
man.  He  has  been  farmer,  school  teacher 
and  merchant,  and,  on  his  way  upward  to  a 
comfortable  competence,  has  also  engaged  in 
various  other  vocations.  His  present  mer- 
cantile establishment  is  the  largest  in  the 
village  of  Marion. 

Mr.  Binkelman  was  born  in  Joliet,  111., 
in  1849,  son  of  Leonard  and  Jane  (McCor- 
mick)  Binkelman,  the  father  a  native  of 
Germany,  the  mother  of  Irish  extraction. 
Leonard  Binkelman  was  a  ship  builder  by 
trade,  and  for  many  years  was  a  resident  of 
Joliet,  removing  thence  in  1852  to  Manito- 
woc, Wis.,  where  he  also  followed  his  trade. 
Mrs.  Binkelman  died  in  1894,  and  he  now 
resides  with  his  son,  W.  R. ,  at  Marion. 
Their  children  were:  W.  R. ;  Mary  Jane, 
wife  of  William  Clark,  of  Manitowoc;  Fred, 
and  Emma  E.,  wife  of  John  Bodwin,  of 
East  Gibson,  Manitowoc  county.  W.  R. 
Binkelman  was  reared  in  Manitowoc,  and 
after  leaving  the  schools  there  clerked  in  a 
grocery  store  for  some  time,  after  which 
for  about  ten  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
confectionery  business  at  Manitowoc.  In 
1872  Mr.  Binkelman  moved  to  Shawano 
county,  and  there  engaged  in  farming,  teach- 
ing school  and  speculating  in  land  for  several 


32 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


years,  teaching  in  Grant  and  Belle  Plaine 
townships,  and  also  in  Uupont  township, 
Waupaca  county.  In  1876,  he  removed  to 
the  latter  township,  locating  on  a  tract  of 
land  one  and  half  miles  distant  from  Mar- 
ion. Three  years  later  he  opened  a  hard- 
ware store  at  Marion,  where  he  has  since 
been  continuously  in  business.  There  was 
only  one  store  in  the  village  when  he  located 
there,  that  of  McDonald  &  Ramsdell,  a  firm 
which  has  since  gone  out  of  business.  The 
village  contained  but  three  houses,  Mr. 
Binkelman  erecting  the  fifth  building,  but 
there  is  now  a  population  of  800,  and  it  is 
still  growing  rapidly.  He  erected  his  pres- 
ent building,  a  good  two-story  frame,  in 
1 88 1,  and  carries  a  full  line  of  hardware 
and  farm  machinery,  the  most  valuable  stock 
of  goods  in  Dupont  township.  He  is  a 
notary  public,  and  for  thirteen  years,  up  to 
January  i,  1895,  he  was  in  the  insurance 
business.  In  earlier  life  Mr.  Binkelman 
filed  cross-cut  saws  and  adopted  various 
other  honest  and  honorable  means  of  obtain- 
ing a  start  in  life,  and  he  began  business  at 
Marion  with  onlj'  $350,  his  present  exten- 
sive trade  testifying  to  his  abundant,  per- 
haps unequalled,  success  at  this  point. 

Mr.  Binkelman  was  married,  in  1871, 
to  Miss  Mary  M.  Ramsdell,  who  was  born 
in  Manitowoc  Rapids,  daughter  of  Erastus 
Ramsdell,  an  early  pioneer  of  Manitowoc 
country,  who  subsequently  moved  to  Dupont 
township,  where  he  died  in  1890.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Binkelman  came  six  children,  five 
of  whom  are  now  living:  Olla  A.,  Irvine, 
Luella,  Lindon  J.  and  Murrell.  Mark  died 
at  the  age  of  eight  years.  In  politics  Mr. 
Binkelman  is  a  Republican,  and  socially  he 
is  a  charter  member  of  Marion  Lodge  No. 
256,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  in  which  he  has  passed  all 
the  Chairs,  and  is  now  serving  as  chaplain. 
He  attends  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  his  eld- 
est daughter,  Olla  A.,  is  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school  of  that  flourishing  Church. 
In  January,  1895,  Mr.  Binkelman  was  elect- 
ed chairman  of  Dupont  township;  he  was 
clerk  of  the  courts  of  Waupaca  county  from 
1884  to  1888;  was  postmaster  at  Marion 
under  President  Harrison  from  1888  to  1892, 
resigning  in  the  latter  year;  has  been  town 
clerk  of   Dupont  for  five  years;  in  January, 


1895,  ^^^s  appointed  chairman  of  the  town 
board,  and,  in  the  spring  of  that  year 
was  elected  chairman,  receiving  241  votes 
out  of  a  total  of  307,  a  fact  which  testifies 
better  than  words  to  his  popularity.  He  is 
well  known  throughout  Waupaca  county, 
and  commands  the  esteem  and  good  fellow- 
ship of  all  who  know  him. 


JEFF.    WOODNORTH,   publisher    and 
editor  of  the  Waupaca  Record,  is  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  City,  son  of  Paul  S. 
and  Sarah   (Astley)   Woodnorth,   both 
natives  of  Stourbridge,  Worcestershire,  Eng- 
land. 

Paul  S.  Woodnorth  was  born  January 
16,  18 1  5,  and  when  a  boy  was  apprenticed 
by  his  widowed  mother  to  a  tailor.  He 
learned  the  trade,  and  at  nineteen  ran  away 
and  worked  his  passage  to  America  aboard  a 
sailing  vessel,  landing  at  New  York,  after 
six  weeks  at  sea,  with  one  cent  in  his  pocket. 
He  found  employment  in  the  new  city,  and 
for  eleven  years  worked  faithfully  at  his 
trade,  then,  in  1845,  revisited  his  old  home 
in  England.  Returning,  he  established  him- 
self in  business  at  the  corner  of  29th  street 
and  Third  avenue,  New  York  City,  prosper- 
ing until  fire  (during  the  winter  of  1848-49) 
destro3"ed  his  shop  and  left  him  penniless. 
The  gold  excitement  was  then  intense,  and 
selling  his  lot  Mr.  Woodnorth  started  for 
California  via  the  Isthmus.  He  was  suc- 
cessful in  prospecting  at  first,  and  later 
found  employment  as  a  cook.  In  accident- 
ally purchasing  supplies  in  excess  he  sold 
the  surplus  at  a  profit  so  great  that  a  new 
business  opened  before  his  eyes,  and  he 
quickly  seized  the  opportunity.  He  pur- 
chased a  schooner  and  plied  between  vari- 
ous points,  making  money  rapidly,  until  his 
clerk  during  a  trip  absconded  with  all  his 
effects,  and  left  him  bankrupt.  He  began 
mining  again,  but  in  185 1  he  returned  to 
New  York  City  and  resumed  his  trade. 

Here  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Sarah 
(Astley)  Page,  widow  of  Joseph  H.  Page 
and  daughter  of  Robert  Astley.  Mr.  Wood- 
north  adopted  the  children  of  Mrs.  Page,  and 
bestowed  upon  them  his  name.  In  addition 
to  his  tailoring  establishment   a  china  store 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOQBAPEIOAL   RECORD. 


33 


was  added,  which  his  wife  conducted. 
Owing  to  Mrs.  Woodnorth's  failing  health 
Mr.  Woodnorth  bargained  in  New  York  for 
some  land  in  Royalton  township,  Waupaca 
Co.,  Wis.,  on  misrepresentation  paying  an 
exorbitant  price  for  the  same,  and  in  1856 
started  with  his  family  by  lake  for  his  new 
western  home.  The  first  improvement  had 
yet  to  be  made  on  the  property.  Mr.  Wood- 
north  secured  the  services  of  two  men  to 
build  a  log  house  while  he  boarded  at  a 
neighbor's.  Eighteen  months  later  he 
traded  the  farm  for  twenty  acres  in  Section 
32,  Waupaca  township,  moving  thereon  and 
following  his  trade  of  tailoring  while  the 
boys  did  a  little  farming.  About  this  time 
Mr.  Woodnorth  put  to  use  the  experience 
as  a  cook  which  he  had  picked  up  on  his 
voyage  to  California,  and  secured  a  position 
as  cook  for  a  gang  of  men  who  were  con- 
structing a  railroad  through  Waupaca 
county.  In  1869  he  sold  his  land  and  re- 
moved to  Waupaca,  where  for  some  years 
he  remained  in  business.  Mrs.  Woodnorth 
died  in  January,  1882;  Mr.  Woodnorth  is 
still  living,  a  well-preserved  old  gentleman 
of  eighty  years.  The  children  who  attained 
majority  are  as  follows:  Joseph  H.,  now 
United  States  pension  agent  at  Milwaukee, 
a  veteran  of  Company  G,  Twenty-first  Wis. 
V.  I.,  and  for  many  years  a  prominent  drug- 
gist at  Waupaca;  Franklin  S.,  who  served 
in  Company  I,  Seventeenth  Wis.  V.  I.,  and  is 
now  a  druggist  at  Manawa,  Wis. ;  Amelia  P. , 
wife  of  Thomas  Pipe,  hardware  merchant,  at 
Waupaca;  Jeff.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
George  R.,  of  Bayfield  county.  Wis.,  and 
Isabel  E.,  now  Mrs.  Frank  Houseman,  of 
Milwaukee. 

Jeff.  Woodnorth  was  a  pupil  in  the  "  Old 
White  School  "  at  Waupaca,  under  the  in- 
struction of  Mrs.  Marcus  Burham,  now  of 
Lind.  He  displayed  little  aptitude  for  farm 
work,  but  was  eager  for  an  education,  and 
received  special  instruction  from  several 
principals  who  were  later  at  the  head  of 
the  Waupaca  schools.  Possessing  a  re- 
tentive memory,  he  learned  rapidly  and 
looked  forward  to  a  liberal  education;  but 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  found  himself  en- 
gaged in  his  life  work.  He  had  entered  the 
office  of  the   Waupaca  County  Republican, 


and  seven  years  later  was  its  foreman  and 
job  printer,  when  he  went  to  Oshkosh  with 
his  employer,  C.  M.  Bright,  who  had  pur- 
chased the  Oshkosh  Times.  Six  months 
later  Mr.  Woodnorth  returned  to  Waupaca; 
then  for  four  years  he  was  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Lanark  township.  Portage  county, 
keeping  "  bachelor  hall "  with  his  brother. 
In  January,  1885,  he  entered  the  law  of- 
fice of  E.  L.  Browne,  as  a  student,  and  two- 
and-a-half  years  later  was  about  ready  to 
take  his  examination  for  admission  to  the 
bar,  when  he  was  induced  to  become  fore- 
man of  the  Waupaca  Post,  then  edited  by 
E.  E.  Gordon.  A  few  months  later,  in 
August,  1887,  he  took  charge  of  the  paper 
as  editor,  and  in  April,  1888,  he  and  his 
brother  George  purchased  a  one-fourth  in- 
terest in  the  paper,  Mr.  Woodnorth  remain- 
ing in  charge.  The  brothers  sold  their  in- 
terest to  Mr.  Gordon  in  December,  1889, 
and  in  June,  1890,  Mr.  Woodnorth  became 
editor  of  The  Tozoiier  A^czus  and  Stockman 
at  Towner,  McHenry  Co.,  N.  Dak.,  remain- 
ing until  January  i,  1891.  In  March,  1891, 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  Waupaca  County 
Republican  as  job  printer  and  all-round 
newspaperman,  remaining  until  March  13, 
1893,  when  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  job  office,  which  later  became  part  of 
the  Waupaca  Record  plant,  D.  L.  Stinch- 
field  being  his  partner.  The  first  number 
of  the  Record  was  issued  from  this  office 
March  17,  1894,  with  Stinchfield  &  Wood- 
north  as  proprietors.  Three  months  later 
Mr.  Woodnorth  became  sole  proprietor, 
and  has  since  conducted  the  paper.  The 
Record  is  a  weekly,  16-page,  3-column  pa- 
per, the  form  being  original  in  the  office 
where  used,  and  quite  a  deviation  from  the 
usual  form  of  newspapers.  It  is  non-parti- 
san in  politics,  and  an  advocate  of  good  gov- 
ernment. The  growth  of  the  Record  has 
been  phenomenal,  probably  without  a  paral- 
lel as  regards  circulation  and  popularity. 


CYRUS   STROBRIDGE,    now   a  re- 
tired merchant   and   business  man, 
has  spent  a  lifetime  of  activity  and 
usefulness  in  Marathon  county,  and 
is    one    of    its    most    worthy    and    highly- 


34 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


respected  citizens.  He  was  born  in  Cort- 
land county,  N.  Y. ,  May  24,  1823,  and  is 
a  son  of  George  A.  and  Abigail  (Lull)  Stro- 
bridge,  both  natives  of  the  Empire  State. 
Of  their  seven  children  four  survive:  Mrs. 
Sophrona  Cook,  widow  of  Henry  Cook,  liv- 
ing at  Salt  Lake,  Utah;  James,  residing  in 
Michigan;  Cyrus,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Julia,  widow  of  the  late  Joshua  C. 
Kline,  of  Bradford  county.  Peon.  The 
mother  died  when  Cyrus  was  about  one- 
year  old,  and  the  father  about  the  year  of 
1855,  removed  to  Merrill,  Wis.,  where  he 
died  in  1866. 

Our  subject  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  home  in  New  York  State,  and 
when  fourteen  years  of  age  went  to  Yates 
county,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  Then 
he  removed  to  Bradford  county,  Penn., 
whither  his  father  in  the  meantime  had  re- 
moved. Here  he  was  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing for  several  years,  and  quite  naturally 
became  interested  in  the  great  lumbering 
regions  of  northern  Wisconsin.  According- 
ly, in  1848  he  came  west,  locating  at  what 
is  now  called  Pine  River,  about  five  miles 
from  Merrill,  Lincoln  county,  where  for 
three  years  he  engaged  in  lumbering  pursuits. 
In  1 85  I  Mr.  Strobridge  returned  to  Bradford 
county.  Penn.,  where  he  was  married,  in 
1852,  to  Miss  Lydia  Jane,  daughter  of  John 
and  Alvina  Kline,  natives  of  that  county. 
Remaining  in  Pennsylvania  for  about  five 
years,  engaging  there  at  farming,  Mr.  Stro- 
bridge in  1856  again  started  for  the  great 
Northwest,  this  time  with  a  family.  At 
Merrill  (then  called  "Jenny  ")  he  built  the 
pioneer  hotel,  calling  it  the  "Jenny  House," 
and  for  seven  years  he  provided  accommoda- 
tions for  man  and  beast  at  this  outpost  of 
an  advancing  wave  of  civilization,  during 
which  time  he  served  four  years  as  post- 
master (the  first  postmaster  at  that  place), 
also  as  first  assessor.  He  then  disposed  of 
his  hotel  business  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  sold  his 
stock  of  merchandise  and  removed  to  Wau- 
sau,  where  he  has  since  resided,  excepting 
the  two  years  (1880  to  1882)  he  was  again 
in  business  at  Merrill.  During  his  career  as 
a  merchant  at  Wausau  Mr.  Strobridge  built 


up  a  large  trade,  and  became  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  city;  of  late 
years  he  has  retired  from  active  life. 

Mr.  Strobridge  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
but  has  never  aspired  for  office,  though  he 
has  served  several  terms  as  assessor  and 
supervisor  of  Marathon  county.  Of  his  four 
children,  three  survive:  Sarah,  wife  of  Wal- 
ter Alexander  (a  prominent  lumberman  of 
Wausau,  and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Alex- 
ander, Stewart  &  Co.),  Libbie,  and  France 
D.  The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Mr.  Strobridge  has  been  an 
upright,  honorable  business  man,  and  his 
successful  career  has  been  alike  creditable  to 
himself  and   to  Marathon  county. 


EDWARD  C.  KRETLOW,  the  popu- 
lar and  efficient  register  of  deeds  for 
Marathon  county,  is  a  splendid  type 
of  the  self-made  man.  He  has  en- 
ergy, decision,  integrity,  affability.  He  has 
aims  in  life,  and  he  sets  resolutely  about  to 
attain  those  aims.  He  has  been  a  man  of 
action,  and  in  his  constant  contact  with  men 
he  has,  by  his  manner  and  character,  creat- 
ed a  favorable  impression.  Few  men  are 
more  popular  than  he. 

Mr.  Kretlow  was  born  in  Germany,  July 
22,  1852,  a  son  of  Edward  and  Frederica 
(Schmidt)  Kretlow.  In  1855  the  parents 
with  their  family  left  the  Fatherland  for 
America,  and  landing  at  New  York  at  once 
proceeded  westward  to  Wisconsin,  locating 
at  Milwaukee.  Here  for  many  years  the 
father  was  a  cigar  manufacturer;  he  is  still 
living  at  that  city  a  hearty  old  gentleman  of 
seventy-five  years.  His  faithful  wife  passed 
from  earth  December  19,  1893.  To  Edward 
and  Frederica  Kretlow  seven  children  were 
born,  five  of  whom  survive,  as  follows:  Louis, 
who  conducts  Kretlow's  dancing  academy,  at 
No.  401-403  Webster  avenue,  Chicago; 
Emil,  of  Wausau;  Edward  C,  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Otto,  of  Milwaukee,  and  Julius, 
of  Chicago.  The  family  has  inherited  mu- 
sical talent  of  a  high  order,  and  can  play 
any  instrument.  Three  of  the  sons — Louis, 
Emil  and  Otto — are  leaders  of  musical  bands. 
Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the 
public   schools  of  Milwaukee,    and  he  also 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPHIGAL   RECORD. 


35 


took  a  course  in  the  Spencer  Business  Col- 
lege, of  that  city,  graduating  from  the  insti- 
tution in  1866,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
He  had  also,  by  that  time,  learned  the  trade 
of  cigar  maker  from  his  father.  In  1866  he 
came  to  Wausau,  and  for  three  years  he  was 
a  salesman,  and  also  deputy  register  of 
deeds.  From  186910  1S71  he  lived  at  Chi- 
cago, where  he  followed  his  trade  as  a  cigar 
manufacturer.  Returning  to  Wausau  in  1 87 1 , 
he  for  three  years  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business  with  C.  H.  Mueller;  then  in  1874 
he  again  took  up  the  manufacture  of  cigars, 
and  continued  in  the  business  uninterrupted- 
ly until  1893.  During  this  period  he  was 
also  bookkeeper  for  Heinemann  Bros. ,  of 
Wausau,  from  1882  to  188S.  In  the  latter 
year  he  was  elected  city  clerk,  and  he  filled 
that  office  for  two  years;  then  in  1890  he  was 
elected  register  of  deeds,  and  in  November, 
1894,  was  re-elected  to  that  important  coun- 
ty office,  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

Mr.  Kretlow  was  married  in  Wausau,  in 
1873,  to  Miss  Johanna  Starge,  daughter  of 
Gotlieb  and  Frederica  Starge,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. To  this  union  one  child  has  come, 
Louis  T.,  who  was  born  May  18,  1874,  and 
is  now  deputy  register  of  deeds  for  Marathon 
county.  Mr.  Kretlow  is  a  member  of  Wau- 
sau Lodge  No.  215,  I.  0.0.  F. ,  also  of  the 
Sons  of  Hermann,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Ameri- 
can Legion  of  Honor,  and  other  minor  so- 
cieties. In  political  views  he  is  an  earnest 
Democrat,  and  he  is  an  active  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  that  party. 


EDWARD     PAYSON      BRIDGMAN 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  An- 
tigo,    Langlade  county,   and  comes 
of  well-known  New  England   ances- 
tors, who   have   been    mostly  farmers,    and 
also  active  in  religious  matters,   being  iden- 
tified with  the  Congregational  Church. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Ansel 
and  Salome  (Graves)  Bridgman,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  Northampton,  Mass., 
in  1802,  and  was  a  Congregational  minister. 
The  father  of  Ansel  was  Joseph  Bridg- 
man, who  married  Mary  Judd,  and  they  had 
eight  children.  The  Bridgmans  date  their 
ancestry  back  to  James  Bridgman,  who  came 


to  this  country  in  1640  from  Winchester, 
England,  and  our  subject  is  of  the  eighth 
generation,  and  is  the  only  son  of  his  par- 
ents. Ansel  Bridgman  was  first  married  in 
Massachusetts  to  Salome  Graves,  who  died 
in  1836.  He  then,  in  1837,  married  Sarep- 
ta  Pool,  and  died  in  1838.  No  children 
were  born  of  this  union.  Mrs.  Bridgman 
afterward  married  a  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and 
they  had  one  son,  Ansel,  who  lives  in  Lud- 
ington,  Michigan. 

Edward  P.  Bridgman,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Huntsburg,  Ohio, 
March  7,  1834,  and  when  five  j'ears  of  age 
was  adopted  by  his  uncle,  John  Bridgman, 
who  lived  in  Northampton,  Mass  ,  and  was 
a  farmer.  Here  Edward  lived  until  he  was 
of  age,  in  the  meantime  pursuing  his  stud- 
ies at  the  State  Normal  School  in  Westfield, 
Mass.  In  1856  he  went  to  Kansas,  enlisted 
under  the  famous  John  Brown,  and  was  in 
the  fight  at  Ossawatomie.  Owing  to  polit- 
ical conditions  and  pro-slavery  sentiment  of 
Missouri,  it  was  unsafe  to  remain,  so  he  re- 
turned to  his  former  home,  and  again  took 
up  his  studies  in  the  Normal  School,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  i860. 
In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
the  Thirty-seventh  Mass.  V.  I.,  and  served 
three  years  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
being  in  seventeen  battles  and  engagements, 
but  escaping  without  a  wound.  His  first 
battle  was  that  of  Fredericsburg,  his  last 
being  the  memorable  one  at  which  Lee  sur- 
rendered in  1865. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  arm}'  in 
1865,  Mr.  Bridgman  returned  to  Northamp- 
ton, Mass.,  and  engaged  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  business,  which  he  carried  on  some 
eight  years.  In  1874  became  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  was  connected  with  a  trading  post 
store  on  the  Menominee  reservation,  remain- 
ing there  four  years.  In  1879  Mr.  Bridg- 
man took  up  a  homestead  in  Polar  town- 
ship, Langlade  county,  being  piloted  to  his 
new  home  by  Indians,  Mrs.  Bridgman  rid- 
ing a  pony  for  thirty  miles.  Here  they  lived 
three  years,  cleared  seven  acres  of  land, 
enduring  some  hardships,  but  being  fairly 
prospered  in  their  work.  In  the  fall  of  1882 
they  returned  east, on  a  visit,  and  remained 
until  June  of  the  following  year,  when  they 


36 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


came  back  to  the  farm.  In  October  of  that 
year  they  settled  in  Antigo,  and  Mr.  Bridg- 
man  started  a  store,  but  did  not  continue  it 
very  long.  Since  that  time  he  has  dealt  in 
real  estate,  and  in  1888  became  interested 
in  a  broom-handle  factory.  In  1893  a  stock 
company  was  formed  for  this  industry,  in 
which  Mr.  Bridgman  took  stock,  and  was 
made  one  of  the  directors  and  also  secretary 
of  the  company. 

Our  subject  was  married  January  i, 
1877,  on  the  Indian  reserv-ation,  to  Miss 
Sophia  B.  Dresser,  who  was  born  at  Goshen, 
Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  March  30,  1846,  a 
daughter  of  Caleb  C.  and  Julia  M.  (White) 
Dresser.  In  this  family  were  eight  children, 
as  follows:  Sophia  B.,  Albert  B.,  Helen 
M.,  Edward  W.,  Charles,  Martha  H.,  Laura 
M.,  and  Hattie  F, ,  also  two  that  died  in 
infancy.  The  father,  who  was  a  carpenter 
and  millwright,  was  born  in  Peru,  Mass., 
December  19,  1813,  and  died  at  Goshen, 
same  State,  March  25,  1880.  His  father, 
Moses  Dresser,  was  also  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  Dresser  family  date  back  for 
many  years,  and  are  characterized  by  their 
anti-slavery  sentiments  and  strong  character. 
Caleb  Cushman,  Grandmother  Dresser's 
father,  was  a  descendant  of  Robert  Cush- 
man— one  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  who  was 
born  about  the  year  1580 — and  Mary  Aller- 
ton,  the  youngest  passenger  on  the  "May- 
flower." He  preached  the  first  sermon 
ever  printed  in  America.  This  was  in 
Plymouth,  Mass.,  where  a  fine  monument 
has  been  erected  to  his  memory.  In  early 
times  they  were  mostly  farmers,  but  later 
were  engaged  largely  in  the  professions, 
many  being  ministers  and  missionaries. 
Mrs.  Julia  White  Dresser,  mother  of  Mrs. 
Bridgman,  was  the  daughter  of  Deacon  Ben- 
jamin White,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  and  was  the  son  of  William 
White.  The  family  was  a  very  prominent 
one  in  the  early  history  of  that  State,  and 
succeeding  generations  find  them  well  known 
in  the  professional  as  well  as  the  mercantile 
world.  Mrs.  Dresser  died  June  26,  1877. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bridgman  five  children 
have  been  born,  of  whom  two  died  in  in- 
fancy; the  others  are:  Edward  P.,  Jr., 
born  July  13,   1880;  Lewis  W.,  born  August 


28,    1882,    and   Robert  W.,   born  June  16, 
1884. 

Mr.  Bridgman  is  a  self-made  man.  and 
is  highly  respected  in  the  community.  He 
is  a  Republican,  but  is  no  politician.  He  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Antigo,  and  a  deacon  in  the  same. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  also  of  John  A.  Kellogg  Post, 
G.  A.  R.  Mr.  Bridgman's  uncle  and  adopt- 
ed father,  John  Bridgman,  was  a  strong 
anti-slavery  man,  and  an  intimate  friend  of 
those  great  humanitarians,  ^^'illiam  Lloyd 
Garrison,  Wendell  Phillips  and  Fred  Doug- 
lass. Indeed,  on  both  his  own  and  his 
wife's  side,  Mr.  Bridgman  has  good  reason 
to  be  proud  of  his  family,  who  have  some 
of  the  best  blood  in  the  country  in  their 
veins,  and  who  were  people  distinguished 
for  their  integrity,  religious  characters,  and 
progressive  ideas. 


JAMES  McCROSSEN,  a  retired  lumber- 
man and  merchant  of  Wausau,  Mara- 
thon county,  is  a  living  instance  of  the 
marked  success  which  may  come  to  a 
man  possessed  of  willing  hands,  clear  brain 
and  correct  principles  in  life.  He  is  essen- 
tially a  self-made  man,  one  who  began 
lumbering  when  a  mere  child,  and  has  since 
advanced  steadily  onward.  The  interests 
which  he  now  control  are  vast  and  varied, 
and  their  acquisition  he  owes  to  his  own  in- 
domitable energy. 

Mr.  McCrossen  was  born  in  Carleton, 
New  Brunswick,  February  13,  1829,  son  of 
Robert  and  Elizabeth  (McCrossen)  McCros- 
sen, both  of  whom  were  of  Irish  birth  and 
Scotch  ancestry.  Robert  McCrossen  emi- 
grated to  New  Brunswick  in  1822,  residing 
in  Carleton  ten  years,  and  then  removed  to- 
the  parish  of  Lancaster,  St.  John  county, 
where  for  eleven  years  he  engaged  in  lum- 
bering and  agricultural  pursuits.  Thence  he 
removed  to  Bailie,  near  St.  Andrews,  Char- 
lotte county,  same  province,  dying  in  1887, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
His  faithful  wife  passed  away  at  Musquash, 
parish  of  Lancaster,  St.  John  county,  in 
1840.  Of  their  nine  children,  five  are  yet 
living,  as  follows:      John,  one   of   the  pio- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPUICAL   RECORD. 


37 


neers  of  Portage  county,  and  now  a  resident 
of  Waupaca  county,  Wis. ;  James,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Jane,  wife  of  M.  M. 
Patridge,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Wausau; 
Ehzabeth,  widow  of  the  late  George  Fur- 
nald,  of  Wausau;  and  George,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Marathon  county.  Of  the  de- 
ceased, Isabella  (wife  of  W.  P.  Quist,  an 
early  settler  of  Waupaca  county,  now  living 
at  Rural),  died  in  April,  1895;  Thomas  (a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war),  died  in  April, 
1895,  at  the  Soldiers'  Home,  Waupaca;  and 
Ann  (Mrs.  MacAllister),  died  May  20,  1895. 
In  his  childhood  James  McCrossen  at- 
tended the  district  schools  of  Lancaster 
parish,  "St.  John  Co.,  N.  B.,  but  was 
evidently  born  for  an  active  rather  than  a 
scholastic  life,  for  at  the  early  age  of  thir- 
teen years,  in  1842,  he  left  home  and  went 
to  Calais,  Maine,  where  for  eight  years,  or 
until  he  became  of  age,  he  worked  at  lum- 
bering. He  then  came  west,  locating  at 
Oshkosh,  Wis.,  in  1850,  when  that  city 
was  a  small  village,  and  for  two  years  fol- 
lowed lumbering  on  the  Wolf  river.  Then, 
in  1852,  he  removed  to  Waupaca  county, 
and  for  eighteen  years  was  actively  engaged 
in  developing  its  rich  primitive  resources. 
For  eight  years  he  followed  lumbering  and 
farming,  then  in  1 860  he  engaged  in  flour- 
milling  and  mercantile  pursuits.  In  all  this 
he  prospered,  and  in  1 868  he  started  another 
venture,  a  general  mercantile  business  at 
Wausau,  in  connection  with  W.  P.  Quint. 
In  1870  he  sold  out  his  interests  in  Wau- 
paca county,  and  by  purchase  obtained  sole 
possession  of  the  Wausau  business,  remov- 
ing to  that  thriving  little  city.  Giving  it  his 
exclusive  attention,  this  mercantile  trade 
grew  rapidly.  In  1878  it  had  assumed 
large  proportions,  and  in  that  year  he  sold 
a  one-third  interest  to  his  son,  J.  A.  Mc- 
Crossen, a  one-third  interest  to  W.  F.  Col- 
lins, and  retired  from  the  active  management 
of  the  business.  In  the  same  year  he  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  Wausau  Lum- 
ber Co.  's  mill,  and  was  actively  connected 
with  its  management  four  years.  In  1S82 
he  sold  his  interest  to  Kno.x  Bros.,  and  re- 
sumed lumbering  and  logging  on  the  Wis- 
consin river  until  1887 — in  which  year  he 
associated    with    Ale.xander    Stewart,   J.    E. 


Lahoe  and  William  Atwater,  and  organized 
the  Montreal  Lumber  Co.,  with  J.  E. 
Leahy  president,  James  McCrossen  vice- 
president,  and  Alexander  Stewart  treasurer. 
Later  Messrs.  Leahy  and  Atwater  sold  their 
interests  to  Messrs.  Moon  &  Knight,  Mr. 
Moon  becoming  president.  In  1891  Mr. 
McCrossen  sold  his  interests  in  the  company 
to  the  Alexander  Stewart  Lumber  Co. ,  and 
retired  from  active  business  life. 

Mr.  McCrossen  was  married,  at  Rural, 
Waupaca  county,  July  4,  1853,  to  Miss 
Cornelia  A.  Jones,  daughter  of  J.  H.  and 
Nancy  Jones,  natives  of  New  York  and  early 
settlers  in  Waupaca  county.  Of  the  seven 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCrossen  five 
survive,  as  follows:  Julien  A.,  of  Everett, 
Wash.;  Ellen  I.,  wife  of  Lyman  Thyar,  of 
Everett,  Wash. ;  Charles  A.,  of  Antigo,  Wis. ; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  H.  H.  Grace,  of  West 
Superior,  Wis.;  and  Henry  G.,  a  merchant 
of  Wausau.  James  M.  (deceased),  who 
comes  between  Ellen  and  Charles,  was  at 
one  time  a  resident  of  St.  Paul,  Minn. ;  Kit- 
tie,  the  youngest,  died  January  2,  1881, 
aged  two  years  and  five  months.  Since  his 
retirement  from  active  life  Mr.  McCrossen 
has  spent  his  winters  in  southern  California. 
He  is  largely  interested  in  timber  land  and 
real  estate,  and  is  the  owner  of  12,000  acres 
of  timber  land  in  Wisconsin,  situated  in 
Marathon,  Price,  Taylor  and  Lincoln  coun- 
ties. He  also  owns  considerable  farming 
land  in  South  Dakota,  has  extensive  landed 
holdings  at  Everett,  Wash.,  and  has  erected 
some  of  the  finest  business  blocks  in  Wausau. 

In  politics  Mr.  McCrossen  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  for  two  terms  he  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  county  board.  He  is  a  member 
of  Forest  Lodge  No.  130,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Wausau  Chapter  No.  51,  R.  A.  M.,  and  St. 
Omer  Commandery  No.  19.  The  family 
attend  the  Universalist  Church.  He  is  a 
typical  self-made  man,  and  during  his  twen- 
ty-five years'  residence  at  Wausau  he  has 
been  one  of  its  most  progressive  oitizens,  ac- 
tively interesting  himself  in  all  measures 
tending  to  advance  the  interests  and  welfare 
of  the  county.  No  man  deserves  greater 
credit  for  the  wonderful  progress  Wausau 
has  made  in  mercantile  and  manufacturing 
affairs  than  James  McCrossen. 


38 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


JOHN  R.  BABCOCK.  There  are  few 
men  more  worthy  of  representation  in 
a  work  of  this  kind  than  the  subject  of 
this  biography,  who  for  several  years  has 
been  prominently  connected  with  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  Merrill,  Lincoln  county,  of 
which  fine  city  he  is  the  present  maj'or. 
He  is  a  native  of  New  York  State,  having 
been  born  at  Albany  May  19,  1855,  a  son  of 
James  H.  Babcock,  who  was  born,  in  1826, 
in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Richardson  Babcock,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  born  there  in  1798,  and 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade;  building  many  of 
the  best  residences  and  business  blocks  in 
Otsego  county,  N.  Y.  He  married  a  Miss 
Robinson,  who  came  to  this  country  from 
the  Emerald  Isle,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  five  children — Adelia,  Sarah, 
James  H.,  Samuel  and  Mary.  His  wife 
died  in  New  York  in  1864,  and  he  departed 
this  life  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  He  had  followed  contracting  until 
within  a  few  years  of  his  death,  when  he 
retired  to  a  small  piece  of  land  he  owned 
near  Schenevus,  Otsego  county. 

James  H.  Babcock,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
remaining  under  the  parental  roof  until  his 
marriage  in  1848,  at  which  time  he  had  at- 
tained his  twenty-fourth  year.  The  lady  of 
his  choice  was  Mary  A.  Herdman,  who  was 
born  in  Westford,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  in 
1832,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Clarissa 
(Smith)  Herdman,  who  were  the  parents  of 
si.x  children — Mar}'  A.,  Martha,  Georgiana, 
Julia,  Louisa  and  David.  Her  father  was  a 
harness  maker  by  trade,  which  he  followed 
in  early  life,  but  later  took  up  farming.  His 
first  wife  died  in  1844,  and  subsequently  he 
married  a  Miss  Wright,  by  whom  he  had 
four  sons — Eugene,  Charles,  John  and 
Everett.  The  father  died  in  New  York 
State  about  the  year  1874.  Mr.  Babcock 
had  five  children:  Frank  M.,  John  R., 
Clara  L. ,  Mary  and  Georgiana. 

After  his  marriage  James  H.  Babcock 
removed  to  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1855,  serving  as  bookkeeper 
for  a  commercial  house.  In  that  year  he 
came  west,  locating  in  Wausau,  Wis.,  and 
then   formed  a  partnership  with    one  Flet- 


cher in  the  lumber  business  which  continued 
until  1858.  when  he  kept  a  hotel,  or  station 
house,  at  Knowlton  until  the  fall  of  1859, 
at  which  time  he  was  elected  register  of 
deeds  of  Marathon  county.  After  his  election 
to  that  office  he  removed  his  family  to  the 
city  of  Wausau,  and  held  the  office  for  six 
years,  being  elected  by  the  Democratic 
party,  of  which  he  was  a  stanch  supporter, 
taking  an  active  part  in  politics.  He  died 
in  Wausau  in  1867.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  still  makes  that  place  her  home;  she 
is  now  the  wife  of  Henry  French. 

The  primary  education  of  John  R.  Bab- 
cock was  obtained  in  the  common  schools, 
after  which  he  attended  the  high  school 
of  Wausau,  later  taking  a  course  at  Law- 
rence Universit}',  Appleton,  Wis.,  where 
for  six  months  he  paid  his  own  tuition 
with  money  he  had  earned  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years  by  clerking  for  Mr.  Cham- 
pagne, and  later  for  James  McCrossen, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  After  his 
return  from  school  he  served  as  bookkeeper 
in  a  private  bank  two  years,  and  for  the 
same  length  of  time  kept  books  in  a  store; 
then  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  with  the  money 
he  had  saved,  he  purchased  some  land  from 
which  he  cut  the  timber.  This  was  in  the 
winter  of  1874-75.  In  the  spring  of  1877 
he  went  to  Kansas  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health,  and  there  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  until  1S80.  On  his  return  to  .Wis- 
consin he  located  at  Merrill,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  clerking  in  Mr.  Champagne's  store, 
when  the  same  company  built  a  sawmill 
in  which  he  became  bookkeeper  and  time- 
keeper, serving  thus  for  one  year.  In  the 
fall  of  1882  Mr.  Babcock  embarked  in  the 
lumber  business,  acting  part  of  the  time  as 
expert  lumberman,  and  the  remainder  as 
expert  accountant  until  1889,  when  he  be- 
gan the  insurance  and  real-estate  business. 
Selling  out  in  1894,  he  in  company  with 
Mr.  Norway  purchased  the  plant  of  the 
Wolf  River  Lumber  Co.,  and  established 
the  Norway  Box  &  Lumber  Co. ,  which  now 
has  a  fine  trade  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
enterprises  of  Merrill. 

In  September,  1882,  Mr.  Babcock  was 
married  to  Josephine  O'Neil,  who  was  born 
in  Wood  county,  Wis.,  and  by  her  marriage 


s 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOORAPEICAL   RECORD. 


39 


has  become  the  mother  of  two  interesting 
sons — West  O.  and  John  R.,  Jr.  Mr. 
Babcock  takes  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
Merrill  and  the  surrounding  country',  and  is 
now  serving  as  secretary  of  the  Business 
Men's  Association.  He  is  enterprising  and 
progressive  in  his  ideas,  and  aids  in  every 
object  for  the  good  of  the  community. 
Politically  he  identities  himself  with  the 
Democratic  party,  being  one  of  its  stalwart 
supporters.  He  served  as  member  of  the 
city  council  from  the  Second  ward;  has  also 
been  city  comptroller,  and  in  1889  and 
1890  was  city  assessor,  in  which  offices  he 
served  faithfully  and  well.  In  April,  1895, 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  Merrill,  having 
been  nominated  by  both  the  Democratic 
party  and  the  Republican  party,  his  oppo- 
nent being  a  Populist,  Mr.  Babcock  receiving 
a  majority  of  nearly  500  votes. 


CARL  F.  PAFF,  treasurer  of  Mara- 
thon county,  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent and  progressive  merchants  of 
Wausau,  the  city  of  his  birth.  He 
was  born  there  April  23,  1861,  son  of  Jacob 
and  Sophia  (Doell)  Paff.  The  father  emi- 
grated from  Germany  in  the  fall  of  1848, 
and  after  spending  the  winter  in  Columbia 
county,  Wis.,  came  in  the  spring  of  1849  to 
Wausau;  Mrs.  Paff  came  from  Germany  in 
1853,  was  married  in  Watertown,  Wis., 
and  died  at  Wausau  in  February,  1889, 
where  Jacob  Paff  resided  until  his  death 
May  6,  1895,  ^'^  honored  citizen,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank. 

Carl  F.  Paff  attended  the  village  schools, 
and  also  took  a  four-years'  course  in  the 
German  and  English  Academy  at  Elmhurst, 
III.  Graduating  at  that  institution,  he  com- 
pleted a  course  of  bookkeeping  at  R.  C. 
Spencer's  Business  College,  Milwaukee,  and 
thus  equipped  for  commercial  life  Mr.  Paff 
returned  to  Wausau  and  for  two  years  was 
bookkeeper  for  John  C.  Gebhart.  He  ac- 
cepted a  similar  position  with  F.  W.  Kick- 
busch,  manufacturer  of  doors,  sash  and 
blinds,  but  six  months  later  the  factory 
burned  and  Mr.  Paff  entered  the  post  office, 
as  a  delivery  clerk,  remaining  there  about 
three  months.      He  then  went  into  business 


for  himself  by  purchasing  the  interest  of 
F.  W.  Stroud  in  the  paint  and  oil  business 
of  Stroud  &  Zentner.  Three  years  later 
Messrs.  Paff  &  Zentner  sold  out  to  J.  M. 
Stroud  &  Co.,  of  Oshkosh,  and  started  a 
new  business  as  dealers  in  lime,  cement  and 
sewer  pipe.  They  continued  partners 
four  years,  then,  in  1887,  Mr.  Paff  pur- 
chased Mr.  Zentner's  interest,  and  has  since 
conducted  the  business  alone. 

He  was  married,  in  Wausau,  November 
22,  1888,  to  Miss  Matilda  Kickbusch,  daugh- 
ter of  F.  W.  and  Matilda  (Braatz)  Kick- 
busch, both  of  whom  emigrated  when  young 
from  Pomerania,  Germany,  to  America. 
F.  W.  Kickbusch  has  been  one  of  Wausau's 
most  prominent  citizens.  He  settled  there 
in  i860,  after  a  three-years'  residence  in 
Milwaukee,  was  three  times  elected  county 
treasurer,  was  engaged  extensively  in  the 
manufacture  of  doors,  sash  and  blinds, 
operated  a  large  flouring-mill,  and  in  June, 
1893,  left  Wausau  to  accept  the  position  of 
United  States  consul  at  Stettin,  Germany. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paff  have  two  children,  Selma, 
born  November  2,  1889,  and  Carl  F.,  born 
January  15,  1892.  Mr.  Paff  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  of  the  Haru- 
gari.  As  the  candidate  for  county  treasurer 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1892,  he  was 
elected  in  November,  1894,  defeating  his 
opponent,  Chris.  Voight,  by  168  votes.  Mr. 
Paff,  though  yet  a  young  man,  has  won  his 
way  into  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
public,  and  is  one  of  Marathon  county's 
most  popular  citizens. 


JACOB  PAFF  (deceased),  an  early  pio- 
neer of  Marathon  county,  and  late 
vice-president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Wausau,  was  one  of  its  best 
representative  citizens.  He  was  unostenta- 
tious in  manner,  and  a  man  of  few  words; 
yet  his  character  was  as  sterling  as  the  na- 
tional coin  that  lay  in  the  vaults  of  his  bank 
or  circulated  over  its  counters.  For  nearly 
forty-five  years  he  lived  in  the  glare  of  pub- 
lic life  at  Wausau,  and  his  reputation  re- 
mained untarnished  and  unblemished.  Mr. 
Paff  was  born  in  Prussia  November  5,  1824, 
son    of    Phillip    (a     farmer)    and    Margaret 


40 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


(Feurrinp)  Paff,  both  natives  of  Germany, 
who  died  in  the  Fatherland  when  Jacob  was 
youiig.  They  had  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  emigrated  to  America, 
and  the  only  servivor  now  is  Mrs.  Louisa 
Baker,    who  remained  in  Germany. 

Our  subject  in  his  boyhood  attended 
the  district  schools,  learned  the  trade  of  a 
cabinet  maker,  and  worked  at  it  in  the  old 
country  until  1849,  when  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years  he  emigrated  to  America. 
Landing  in  New  York  July  i,  of  that  year, 
he  proceeded  west  at  once,  and  stopping 
for  a  few  months  in  Columbia  county  he 
pushed  on  through  the  almost  unbroken 
wilderness  to  Marathon  county,  at  once 
becoming  identified  with  its  awakening  lum- 
ber interests.  In  the  same  year  of  his  im- 
migration he  located  at  Wausau,  and  was 
a  continuous  resident  of  the  city  from  that 
date,  ranking  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  6,  1895,  as  one  of  the 
oldest  living  and  most  highly-respected  of 
the  old  settlers.  For  six  years  he  followed 
his  trade  of  cabinet  making,  then,  in  1857, 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  continuing 
until  1 87 1,  when  he  retired  from  active 
business  life.  In  1863  he  was  elected  coun- 
ty treasurer,  serving  faithfully  and  satis- 
factorily during  the  years  1863  and  1864. 
In  1 87 1  and  1872  he  also  served  as  county 
clerk,  and  he  represented  Wausau  as  its 
chief  officer.  Mr.  Paff  was  connected  with 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Wausau  from  its 
organization,  and  was  vice-president  of  this 
well-known  banking  institution  at  the  time 
of  his  demise. 

On  January  20,  1856,  he  was  married, 
at  Watertown,  Wis.,  to  Miss  Sophia  Doell, 
a  lady  of  German  birth,  and  eight  children 
were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  survive,  as 
follows:  Matilda,  wife  of  Fred  T.  Zent- 
ner.  United  States  E.xpress  Agent  at  Wau- 
sau; Carl  F.,  county  treasurer;  Jacob  and 
William.  The  family  attend  St.  Paul's 
Evangelical  Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Paff 
was  a  Democrat.  He  was  always  foremost 
in  works  of  public  improvement,  giving  his 
aid  and  influence  cheerfully  to  all  worthy 
enterprises. 

Fred  T.  Zentner,  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Paff, 
was  born  in  Oshkosh  August  15,    1858,  son 


of  Frederick  and  Barbara  (Wiler)  Zentner, 
both  honored  and  early  German  emigrants 
to  that  cit}'.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  business  college  of  Oshkosh, 
and  when  fourteen  years  of  age  became  a 
clerk  in  a  law  and  real-estate  office,  re- 
maining six  }'ears.  In  i  880  he  removed  to 
Wausau,  and  since  that  date  has  been  a 
continuous  resident  of  the  city.  For  six 
years  he  engaged  in  the  oil  and  paint  busi- 
ness, and  in  1886  he  entered  lumbering  and 
manufacturing  pursuits,  in  which  he  still 
continues  in  connection  with  his  Express 
agency.  He  is  secretary  of  the  Clay  Lum- 
ber Company,  and  vice-president  of  the 
Wisconsin  Moulding  Company.  Mr.  Zent- 
ner has  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  and 
county  board  for  eight  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Forest  Lodge  No.  130,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  is  a  worthy  and  highly-respected  citizen 
of  the  community.  His  marriage  to  Miss 
Matilda  Paff  occurred  December  28,  1881, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Fred  T.,  born 
October'31,  1882. 


BENJAMIN  B.  ANDREWS,  one  of 
the  firm  of  Van  Doren  &  Andrews, 
prominent  lumber  merchants  at  Bir- 
namwood,  Shawano  Co.,  Wis.,  was 
born  at  Whitehall,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y. , 
September  29,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Ben- 
jamin M.  and  Ann  (Lyons)  Andrews,  the 
former  being  born  in  Danbury,  Conn.,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1820,  and  the  latter  in  Rutland, 
Vt.,  March  16,  1825.  They  were  married 
in  New  York  about  1847,  and  had  a  family 
of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Benjamin 
Burton;  Mary,  who  died  when  an  infant; 
Mary  Ann,  who  died  when  nineteen  years 
of  age;  Annetta,  now  Mrs.  R.  Lyons,  of 
Oshkosh;  Adella;  Leverett  Brainard,  who 
died  when  four  years  old;  Emma  Amelia, 
and  Merton;  the  latter  is  an  Episcopal  min- 
ister and  resides  at  Oshkosh. 

Benjamin  M.  Andrews,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, came  to  Wisconsin  in  1850,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Juneau,  Dodge  county.  He  re- 
mained there  some  twelve  years,  then  went 
to  Beaver  Dam  and  later  to  Oshkosh,  where 
he  still  resides.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  although  he  has  followed  farming  the 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPUWAL   RECORD. 


41 


greater  part  of  his  life.  His  wife,  Ann  (Lj'- 
ons),  is  also  still  living. 

Benjamin  B.  Andrews,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  at  Juneau,  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
learning,  in  the  meantime,  to  run  a  station- 
ary engine.  At  the  age  mentioned  he  went 
to  Milwaukee,  and  was  employed  on  the 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad  for  some  two 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Oshkosh 
and  worked  in  a  mill,  taking  full  charge  of 
the  same  until  the  spring  of  1884.  At  that 
time  he  came  to  Birnamwood,  and  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Van  Doren  began  the  manu- 
facture of  staves  and  headings;  three  years 
later  they  built  a  sawmill,  and  in  1892  an 
extensive  mill.  They  also  carry  on  a  gen- 
eral store,  and  are  large  owners  of  real  es- 
tate, and  Mr.  Andrews,  being  a  practical 
millman,  looks  after  that  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  wide-awake,  enterprising  man, 
and  has  been  very  successful  in  all  his  un- 
dertakings. Mr.  Andrews  was  married  in 
1865,  his  wife  being  Miss  Agnes  Parris,  who 
was  born  in  Canada  of  Scotch  descent,  one 
of  a  family  of  five  children.  Her  father  was 
a  baker  in  Canada.  By  this  marriage  Mr. 
Andrews  became  the  father  of  four  children: 
James,  who  died  when  a  child;  William 
Henry,  who  also  died  when  an  infant;  Mary 
who  married  H.  G.  Deyer,  an  attorney,  of 
Shawano,  and  Harry,  who  died  in  1894  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  The  mother 
passed  away  December  14,  1874.  The  sec- 
ond marriage  of  Mr.  Andrews  took  place 
March  16,  1876,  Miss  Martha  O.  Thorn  be- 
coming his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Sarah  Thorn,  natives  of  New  York,  who 
came  to  Wisconsin  in  1854.  Her  birth  took 
place  in  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  March  6, 
1852,  and  she  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  have  four 
children:  John  Burton,  Benjamin  Burton, 
Bessie  and  Helen  Dare. 

In  politics  Mr.  Andrews  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  never  been  an  office-seeker.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  village,  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  and  has  been  affiliated 
with  the  United  Workmen  for  the  past  fif- 
teen years.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  one 
who  has  attained  to  his  present  standing  by 


industry,  perseverance  and  straightforward 
methods  of  business,  and  is  respected  as  a 
worthy  citizen,  and  one  ready  to  assist  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. 


EMILE  B.  ROSSIER  (deceased)  was 
a  man  whose  virtues  won  him  high 
regard,  and  whose  devotion  to  edu- 
cational, social  and  moral  interests 
made  him  one  of  the  valued  citizens  of  Wood 
county.  He  was  born  at  V'evay,  near  Ge- 
neva, Switzerland,  December  2,  1832,  and 
was  a  son  of  J.  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Monnet) 
Rossier.  He  was  educated  in  the  academy 
of  Geneva,  and  spent  the  first  nineteen 
years  of  his  life  in  the  beautiful  land  of  his 
nativity,  after  which  he  determined  to  seek 
a  home  beyond  the  Atlantic,  and  in  1851 
crossed  the  water  to  the  New  World.  He 
located  first  in  Highland,  Madison  Co.,  111., 
where  he  resided  seven  years,  during  which 
time  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  with 
a  fair  degree  of  success.  In  1858  he  came 
to  Centralia,  Wis.,  and  established  a  mer- 
cantile store,  while  in  connection  with  this 
enterprise  he  served  as  cashier  of  the  Grand 
Rapids  Bank  from  1870  until  1873. 

His  domestic  relations  were  of  the  most 
pleasant.  He  was  happily  married  in  St. 
Louis,  in  1853,  to  Miss  Caroline  Mennet, 
daughter  of  Emanuel  and  Euphrosine  (Faw- 
con)  Mennet,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Switzerland.  Their  union  was  blessed  with 
a  family  of  six  children:  Cecelia,  who  was 
born  in  Illinois,  February  13,  1856,  and  is 
now  the  wife  of  Frank  Garrison,  a  promi- 
nent manufacturer  of  South  Centralia,  Wis. ; 
Alfred  A.,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  De- 
cember 6,  1857;  Edmond  H.,'born  in  Cen- 
tralia, May  4,  1S60:  Eugene,  who  was  born 
in  Centralia,  July  14.  1862,  and  died  July  14, 
1862;  Emile  C,  born  July  10,  1864;  and 
Benjamin,  who  was  born  in  Centralia,  July 
II,  1866,  and  passed  away  December  22, 
1867. 

In  connection  with  the  interests  pre- 
viously mentioned,  Mr.  Rossier  was  also 
identified  with  other  concerns  in  Centralia. 
He  won  considerable  prominence  as  the 
senior  partner  of  the   law  firm  of   Rossier  & 


42 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Baker,  and  was  superintendent  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  Wisconsin  Valley  railroad. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  his  abilities  were 
not  limited  to  one  line  of  action  or  of  busi- 
ness, and  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  influential  and  enterprising  residents  of 
Wood  county,  a  leader  in  all  matters  per- 
taining to  the  public  welfare.  He  served  as 
city  treasurer,  was  city  clerk  for  several 
terms,  and  postmaster  at  Centralia  for  ten 
years,  and  in  all  these  offices  was  an  ef- 
ficient incumbent,  faithful  to  his  duty  and 
the  trust  reposed  in  liim.  His  life  was  well 
spent,  and  was  largely  devoted  to  the  good 
of  mankind  in  one  way  or  another.  In  the 
family  he  was  considerate  and  tender,  and 
the  loss  to  wife  and  children  is  one  which 
only  time  can  heal.  He  passed  peacefully 
away  May  24,  1893,  deeply  regretted  by  all 
who  knew  him.  Like  the  husband  and 
father,  the  family  share  in  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  the  entire  community,  and  Mrs. 
Rossier  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church. 


REV.  FATHER  WINAND  DANIELS, 
pastor  of  the  Catholic  Church  of 
Hewitt,  Wood  county,  was  born  in 
Giesenkirchen,  Germany,  February 
23,  1866.  His  father,  William  Daniels,  was 
born  in  the  same  place  in  183  i,  only  child 
of  William  and  Anna  (Diedrichs)  Daniels. 
He  was  a  manufacturer  of  woolen  goods, 
and  in  business  was  thorough  and  system- 
atic. He  died  in  1887,  highly  respected. 
His  father  was  in  the  German  army  for 
some  time,  serving  as  an  officer. 

On  November  22,  1858,  William  Daniels 
married  Barbara  Langen,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  four  children.  One  son,  Will- 
iam, was  educated  for  the  priesthood,  and 
on  coming  to  America  in  1891  had  charge  of 
a  church  at  Kankakee,  111.,  in  which  city  he 
died  in  1892.  Hermann  and  Catherine,  the 
other  brother  and  sister  of  our  subject,  now 
make  their  home  with  Rev.  Father  Daniels, 
as  does  their  mother.  The  latter  was  born 
March  28,  1837,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Margaret  (Goetz)  Langen,  farming  peo- 
ple of  Germany,  who  had  a  family  of  five 
children:     Barbara,     Herman,    Margaretta, 


Magdalene   and  Winand,  Barbara  and  Mag- 
dalene being  the  only  ones  now  living. 

Rev.  Father  Daniels  received'  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
was  sent  to  Holland,  entering  a  school  near 
Venlo,  where  he  remained  some  nine  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  admitted  to 
a  University  at  Innsbruck,  in  Austria,  where 
for  two  years  he  continued  his  studies.  He 
completed  his  literary  education  after  one 
year's  attendance  at  the  Priests'  Seminary 
in  Mainz,  when  he  was  ordained  priest 
March  14,  1890.  After  a  vacation  of  three 
months  he  started  for  America  unaccom- 
panied, the  remainder  of  the  family  coming 
later.  The  first  charge  of  Rev.  Father 
Daniels  was  at  Chippewa  Falls,  where  he  re- 
mained but  six  months,  when  he  came  to 
Marshfield,  acting  as  assistant  priest  for  the 
same  length  of  time.  He  then  accepted  his 
present  charge  at  Hewitt.  Since  coming  to 
that  place  he  has  been  instrumental  in  the 
erection  of  a  fine  brick  church  and  parson- 
age, and  has  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  Be- 
sides the  congregation  at  Hewitt,  Rev. 
Father  Winand  Daniels  has  two  other 
charges,  one  at  Bakerville,  Wood  county, 
and  the  other  at  Loyal,  Clark  Co.,  Wis., 
where  he  also  enjoys  the  love  and  confidence 
of  the  people. 


JOHN  A.  LEMMER,  a  prominent  lum- 
ber manufacturer,  and  an  early  settler 
of  Marathon  count}',  was  born  near 
Trier,  in  the  Rhine  Province,  Germany, 
February  1 1,  1843,  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth Lemmer,  who  were  both  born  in  Ger- 
many, the  former  of  whom  is  now  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  the  town  of  Mara- 
thon, Wisconsin. 

Our  subject  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  and  other  members  of  the  family, 
and  in  1853  they  located  in  Laporte,  Ind., 
where  they  resided  six  years.  In  1859  the 
family  removed  to  Marathon  county.  Wis., 
and  have  been  residents  of  that  county 
since  then.  Mr.  Lemmer  received  a  portion 
of  his  education  in  his  native  land,  and  also 
attended  school  in  Marathon  county.  Wis. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


43 


On  leaving  school  he  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing some  sixteen  years,  and  after  abandon- 
ing this  occupation  engaged  in  lumbering 
and  lumber  manufacturing.  He  has  filled 
the  office  of  town  treasurer  seven  times; 
been  chairman  of  the  town  board  four  times; 
president  of  the  village  six  terms,  supervisor 
of  Marathon  cit}'  six  terms,  served  one  year 
as  trustee  of  Marathon  County  Insane  Asy- 
lum, and  is  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

At  Stevens  Point,  Portage  county,  in 
1866,  John  A.  Lemmer  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  Fisher,  and  there  were 
born  to  them  fourteen  children,  twelve  of 
whom  are  living,  their  names  and  dates  of 
birth,  etc.,  being  as  follows:  John  M., 
October  9,  1866,  at  one  time  a  saw-filer, 
now  a  fire  and  life  insurance  agent  at  Mara- 
thon, Wis.;  I^obert,  November  15,  1869,  an 
engineer  and  head  sawyer,  at  present  serving 
as  city  marshal;  William,  October  9,  1871, 
millwright  and  agent;  Julius,  March  30,  1872, 
at  present  studying  theology  at  St.  John's 
University,  Collegeville,  Minn.  ;  Otto,  De- 
cember 10,  1874,  machine  agent  and  head 
sawyer;  Richard,  April  3,  1876,  a  school 
teacher  at  Marathon,  Wis.;  Leo,  June  12, 
1877,  lumber  scaler  and  setter;  Alexander, 
October  5,  1880;  Bruno,  January  9,  1883; 
Ludwig,  March  30,  1885;  Mary  S.,  Septem- 
tember  5,  1889,  and  Mark,  January  9,  1890. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  John  A.  Lemmer,  Bal- 
thasar  Fisher  andTeressa  (Schaeffer)  Fisher, 
were  born  in  Germany,  and  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Marathon  county.  Wis.,  where  they 
resided  until  death.  They  had  children  as 
follows:  Mary,  wife  of  John  A.  Lemmer; 
Margaret,  wife  of  Anthony  Schilling;  Benja- 
min, John  and  Anthony,  all  residing  in  the 
city  of  Marathon,  Wis.  John  M.  Lemmer, 
eldest  son  of  John  A.  and  Mary  Lemmer, 
was  married  in  1890  to  Rosa  Baur,  and  to 
their  union  have  been  born  three  daughters: 
Ella,  Erma  and  Lulu.  John  A.  Lemmer  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  He  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive and  solid  business  men  of  Marathon, 
and  is  extensively  engaged  in  lumbering. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  matters  having 
for  their  object  the  improvement  and  wel- 
fare of  Marathon  county,  and  is  a  highly- 
esteemed  and  valuable  member  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides.      At  present  he 


is  a  member  of  the  Marathon  County  Com- 
mittee on  Emigration  and  Industries  for 
Marathon  county.  The  family  attend  the 
Catholic  Church. 


GEORGE  CHRISTIAN  LICKEL  is 
a  typical  self-made  man,  one  who 
owes  his  success  to  his  own  enter- 
prise and  industry.  He  has  led  a 
busy  and  useful  life,  and  in  the  legitimate 
channels  of  business  has  acquired  a  compe- 
tency that  now  enables  him  to  live  retired. 
Mr.  Lickel  was  born  in  the  Province  of 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  September  13,  1841. 
His  father,  John  C.  Lickel,  also  a  native  of 
Germany,  was  a  miller  by  trade,  and  in  the 
country  of  his  birth  was  married,  in  1838, 
to  Catherine  Gris.  They  became  the  parents 
of  five  children:  George  C. ,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Henry,  who  died  in  infancy;  Will- 
iam, who  died  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  1864, 
while  in  the  employ  of  the  government; 
Catherine,  wife  of  John  Metz — all  four  born 
in  Germany;  and  Mary,  who  was  born  in 
this  country.  The  family  crossed  the  At- 
lantic about  the  year  1849,  aud  took  up 
their  residence  in  Ouincy,  111.,  where  the 
father  worked  at  his  trade.  While  in  Ger- 
many he  had  owned  and  operated  his  own 
mill,  and  had  obtained  a  good  business  edu- 
cation. His  death  occurred  July  27,  1881, 
that  of  his  wife  on  February  9,  1876.  She, 
too,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  was  the 
daughter  of  a  miller,  but  nothing  more  is 
known  about  her  people,  except  that  she 
was  the  youngest  of  a  large  family.  John 
C.  Lickel  had  one  sister.  Our  subject  was 
about  eight  years  of  age  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  the  New  World.  He 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Quincy,  111.,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
began  learning  the  trade  of  wagon  making. 
When  he  had  thoroughly  mastered  the  busi- 
ness, he  established  a  shop  of  his  own  in 
Quincy,  which  he  conducted  some  three 
years. 

On  September  26,  1866,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  Germany,  in  1846,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Hitridge)  Miller,  both 


44 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPHICAL   RECOSD. 


natives  of  Germany,  the  father  born  in  1796, 
the  mother  in  1800;  they  were  the  parents 
of  four  children:  Lizzie  (deceased),  Caro- 
line, Mary,  and  Catherine.  Mr.  Miller  was 
a  merchant  tailor  by  trade,  a  well-educated 
man,  and  a  leader  in  politics  in  Germany, 
holding  public  offices  there  for  many  years. 
He  was  very  prosperous  in  his  business, 
which  he  followed  not  only  in  his  native  land, 
but  also  in  Paris,  France.  In  the  Father- 
land he  served  in  the  arm\',  for  six  years  as 
an  officer.  In  1852  he  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  family,  the  voyage,  which 
was  made  in  a  sailing  vessel,  occupying  sixty 
days.  Three  months  after  their  arrival  in 
the  country  the  family  settled  at  Ouincy, 
111.,  where  Mr.  Miller  became  a  speculator 
in  real  estate,  etc.,  in  which  he  continued  up 
to  his  death,  in  1892.  His  wife  had  passed 
away  in  1875.  A  Republican  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  he  took  a  great  interest  in 
politics,  and  was  honored  with  election  to 
several  offices  of  trust.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  all 
respects  was  highly  esteemed.  Mrs.  Bolman, 
sister  to  Mrs.  Lickel,  died  in  1867,  just 
eleven  weeks  after  her  husband  had  been 
laid  to  rest,  leaving  five  children,  one  of 
whom,  Katie,  Mrs.  Lickel  adopted.  She 
(Katie)  married  Robert  Megow,  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  and  now  Mrs.  Lickel  has  her 
daughter,  Lulu,  adopted.  Thus,  if  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lickel  have  no  children  of  their  own, 
they  have  been  a  father  and  mother  to  the 
children  of  others. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Lickel  pur- 
chased a  hotel  at  Quincy,  111.,  which  he  con- 
ducted a  number  of  years,  when  on  account 
of  his  wife's  failing  health  he  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  locating  at  Necedah,  Juneau 
county,  where  for  several  years  he  again 
carried  on  a  hotel.  In  1888  he  came  to 
Merrill,  purchased  a  store  and  embarked  in 
the  grocery  business,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  until  January  i,  1895,  when  he 
sold  out.  There  have  been  few  idle  moments 
in  his  life,  his  time  and  attention  having  been 
given  almost  unceasingly  to  his  business  in- 
terests, until  within  the  last  few  months, 
since  when  he  has  been  enjoying  a  rest  well 
earned  and  richly  deserved.  He  has  always 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  his 


fellow  townsmen  have  frequently  called  him 
to  office,  he  having  twice  served  as  super- 
visor, once  as  school  commissioner,  and  once 
as  alderman.  In  his  younger  years  he  took 
quite  an  active  interest  in  Masonry,  and  is 
now  a  Knight  Templar;  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  and  his  wife 
hold  membership  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  are  most  highly-esteemed  peo- 
ple, their  many  excellencies  of  character 
winning  them  the  regard  of  all  with  whom 
they  have  been  brought  in  contact. 


GEORGE  E.  O'CONNOR,  the  popu- 
lar   and     efficient     sheriff    of  Vilas 
county,    with    residence     at    Eagle 
River,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born 
I  August   31,    1865,  a  son  of  John  O'Connor, 
!  who  first  saw  the  light,    in    1833,    near  the 
city  of  Newcastle,  New  Brunswick,  Canada. 
!  Edward   O'Connor,    grandfather   of    our 

I  subject,  was  born  in  Tipperar}',  Ireland, 
whence,  when  a  young  man,  he  emigrated  to 
New  Brunswick,  where  he  married  Miss 
Catherine  Welch,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children,  named  respectively:  John.  Timo- 
thy, Kate,  Richard,  Mary,  Maurice  and 
Alice,  the  last  two  dying  when  quite  young. 
In  the  spring  of  1845  the  family  came  to 
Wisconsin,  locating  in  Milwaukee,  where  the 
father  took  up  a  homestead,  near  where  the 
city  hall  now  stands,  and  there  remained 
some  three  years;  but,  thinking  to  better 
himself  farther  west,  he  abandoned  his  first 
Wisconsin  home,  and  after  a  brief  sojourn 
in  Oshkosh  settled  on  a  farm  in  Brown 
county,  whereon  he  passed  the  rest  of  his 
days,  dying  in  1859;  his  wife  survived  him 
till  July,  1883,  when  she,  too,  passed  to  the 
"great  unknown."  He  was  a  farmer  and 
lumberman,  prominent  in  politics  as  an 
ardent  Whig  and  Republican.  His  ancestry 
in  Ireland  were  all  well-to-do  agriculturists. 
John  O'Connor,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  twelve  years  old  when  the  family  took 
up  their  residence  in  Milwaukee,  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  which  then  village  he  receiv- 
ed a  somewhat  limited  education,  having  in 
his  boyhood  to  assist  his  father  in  getting  out 
square  timber  and  clearing  the  farm.     At 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


45 


about  the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  to 
work  awa}-  from  home,  finding  employment 
in  mills  and  at  lumbering,  when  nineteen 
years  old  having  charge  of  a  mill  as  foreman. 
In  1855,  in  the  meantime  marrying,  he 
moved  to  Oconto,  having  been  offered,  and 
accepted,  the  position  of  head  sawyer  in  a 
mill  at  that  place,  also  following  the  logging 
business.  Here  he  remained  till  1866,  in 
which  year  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Green 
Bay,  where  in  connection  with  his  lumber- 
ing interests  he  conducted  a  hotel,  and  was 
also  interested  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which, 
however,  was  wrecked.  After  about  eight 
years'  residence  in  Green  Bay,  he  removed 
to  Eau  Claire,  where  he  resided  some  nine 
years,  with  the  exception  of  three  years 
passed  in  Texas  and  Arkansas,  erecting 
there  a  mill  which  turned  out  a  failure.  In 
Eau  Claire  he  followed  lumbering,  and  in 
April,  1883,  he  came  to  Eagle  River,  buying 
a  tract  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  in 
August,  same  year,  platting  the  town  of 
Eagle  River,  which  was  described  as  the  plat 
of  the  N.  E.  quarter  of  the  N.  \V.  quarter  of 
Section  33,  Town  40  North,  of  Range  10 
East,  being  the  first  plat  of  the  town.  After- 
ward he  added  two  additions  known  as  the 
Original  Plat,  and  then  one  called  the  Ann 
O'Connor  Addition.  He  came  to  be  known 
as  "the  father  of  Eagle  River."  Here  he 
logged  one  winter,  and  then  embarked  in 
the  real-estate  business,  including  the  buy- 
ing and  selling  of  city  property  and  pine 
lands,  in  connection  with  which  he  carried 
on  a  general  supply  store.  He  died  July  4, 
1889,  a  stanch  Republican  in  his  political 
affiliations.  He  was  a  typical  self-made 
man,  one  who  was  favored  with  few  school 
privileges,  but  was  a  great  reader  and  a  close 
student  of  human  nature.  At  the  time  of 
the  Pike's  Peak  excitement,  he  passed  some 
six  months  in  that  region.  Although  reared 
a  strict  Catholic,  yet  he  was  liberal  toward 
all  denominations,  and  was  particularly 
charitable  to  the  poor.  He  was  never  called 
upon  to  serve  his  adopted  country  as  a  sol- 
dier, but  he  had  two  brothers  in  the  army — 
Timothy  and  Richard. 

In  1855,  at  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  John 
O'Connor  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Gold- 
en, a  native  of  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  born 


in  1835,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
(Flatley)  Golden,  farming  people,  both  also 
of  Irish  nativity,  who  came  to  America  about 
the  year  1838.  For  a  time  they  sojourned 
in  New  York  City,  thence  proceeding  to 
Rome,  N.  Y. ,  whence  after  three  years 
passed  in  that  city  they  came  to  Wisconsin, 
settling  at  Wrightstown,  Brown  county,  on 
wild  land,  where  they  passed  the  rest  of  their 
daj'S,  the  father  dying  in  i860,  the  mother 
in  1868.  They  were  the  first  settlers  of 
Wrightstown,  and  the  old  log  cabin  wherein 
they  lived  is  still  standing.  They  had  nine 
children,  to  wit:  Thomas,  Peter,  Patrick, 
Mary,  Martin,  James,  Margaret,  Ellen  and 
Anna.  The  father  was  a  ' '  dyed-in-the-wool  " 
Democrat.  To  John  and  Anna  O'Connor 
were  born  ten  children,  named  respectively: 
Mary,  Edward,  Ellen,  Anna,  George  E. , 
Matilda,  Henry  C,  Don  and  Walter  F. 
(twins),  and  Harriet. 

George  E.  O'Connor,  the  subject  proper 
of  this  memoir,  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Eau  Claire,  and  there  at  the  early  age  of 
eleven  years  commenced  learning  the  trade 
of  printer,  which  he  followed  four  years,  af- 
ter which  he  worked  for  a  time  in  a  shingle 
mill,  then  learned  the  trade  of  plumber.  In 
1883  he  came  to  Eagle  River  with  his  fa- 
ther, whom  he  assisted  in  the  latter's  exten- 
sive lumbering  interests — sometimes  working 
in  the  woods,  at  other  times  running  the  river 
— so  continuing  some  three  years.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  entered  the  Northwestern 
Business  College,  at  Madison,  which  institu- 
tion he  attended  two  summer  terms,  work- 
ing in  the  woods  winters,  for  a  time  keeping 
books  for  a  lumber  camp.  In  the  fall  of 
1888  he  commenced  the  management  of  his 
father's  store,  and  after  the  latter's  death  he 
was  appointed  administrator  of  the  estate. 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  in 
1894  he  was  elected  to  his  present  position 
of  sheriff  of  Vilas  county;  for  two  years  he 
served  as  town  clerk,  was  secretary  of  the 
school  board,  and  filled  several  minor  offices. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  K.  of  P.  He  has  two  brothers  attend- 
ing school  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  while  another 
brother,  Henry  C,  is  studying  for  the  pro- 
fession of  dentist,  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Philadelphia  (at  one  time  he  was 


46 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


register  of  deeds  for  Oneida  county.  Wis.). 
Our  subject  has  not  yet  joined  the  noble  ar- 
m}'  of   Benedicts. 


HON.  JEROME  NELSON.  In  Am- 
herst township,  Portage  county,  it 
might  be  difficult  to  find  a  name 
which  the  people  would  more  delight 
to  honor  than  that  of  Mr.  Nelson.  It  is 
known  throughout  northern  Wisconsin  in 
connection  with  the  milling  product  which 
he  has  made  famous  for  its  quality;  it  is 
known  as  that  of  a  brave  officer  who  served 
throughout  the  Rebellion;  it  is  known  as  that 
of  apioneer  who  has  been  identified  with  the 
material  advancement  of  the  State;  it  is 
known  as  that  of  a  legislator.  The  name 
has  been  commemorated  in  the  village  Nel- 
sonville,  named  from  him.  He  is  public- 
spirited,  and  perhaps  as  well  known  as  anj' 
one  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  at  Attica,  N.  Y. , 
January  9,  1829,  the  eldest  child  of  Adin 
and  Sally  (Randall)  Nelson.  Adin  Nelson 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Genesee  county,  N.  Y.  In  1828  he  was 
married,  at  Attica,  to  Sally,  daughter  of 
Miles  Randall,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
who  prior  to  the  war  of  18 12  moved  with 
his  wife  to  Canada,  but  was  forced  to  return 
when  hostilities  opened  because  he  would 
not  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  King 
George.  He  settled  in  New  York.  His  chil- 
dren were  Betsy,  Statira,  John,  Sally, 
Esther,  Harriet,  Horace  and  Aurilla.  Adin 
Nelson  was  a  farmer  and  a  merchant.  Seven 
years  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  overseer  for  the  New  York  Central 
railroad  during  its  construction.  In  1836 
he  moved  to  Michigan,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Hadley  township,  Lapeer  county, 
until  about  1850,  and  then  selling  his  land 
he  came  to  Fond  du  Lac  count}'.  Wis. ,  and 
opened  a  general  store.  In  1853  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Amherst  township.  Port- 
age county,  where  he  farmed  and  also  car- 
ried on  a  small  mercantile  business  until 
shortly  before  his  death.  Desiring  to  revisit 
the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  he  went  east  at 


the  age  of  si.xty-nine  years,  and  after  a  short 
illness  died  at  the  home  of  his  sister  in 
Massachusetts.  His  wife  lived  until  1892, 
when  she  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  To  Adin  and  Sally  Nelson  six  chil- 
dren were  born:  Jerome;  Harriet,  now  Mrs. 
Amos  Wilts,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.;  Miles  R., 
a  salesman  in  a  large  New  York  City  mer- 
antile  house,  who  died  while  visiting  his 
brother  Jerome  in  Amherst,  in  1856; 
George  (i),  who  died  when  a  boy;  Orpha, 
who  died  in  infancy;  George  (2),  who  mar- 
ried Miss  Marion  Phillips,  of  Amherst,  and 
is  now  a  merchant  of  Waukegan,  Illinois. 

Jerome  Nelson  attended  the  schools  of 
New  York  and  Michigan  in  his  boyhood, 
assisting  on  the  farm  and  in  the  store  up 
to  the  age  of  nineteen,  when  he  started  out 
in  life  for  himself.  He  spent  one  summer 
in  Chicago,  then  went  down  the  Mississippi 
river  to  Vicksburg,  Miss. ,  where  he  engaged 
to  cut  timber  in  the  cypress  swamp  for  $20 
per  month.  Two  years  later,  with  the 
money  he  had  saved,  he  started  in  the  same 
business  for  himself  in  partnership  with 
Frank  Johnson,  a  South  Carolina  planter. 
Following  this  successfully  and  profit- 
ably two  years,  he,  in  1852,  came  to  Wis- 
consin, and  for  a  short  time  helped  his 
father  on  the  farm.  He  then  opened  and 
for  two  years  conducted  a  store  of  general 
merchandise  at  Barton,  Washington  county. 
Trading  this  for  real  estate  in  the  same 
county,  he  sold  out  two  years  later  and 
settled  in  Amherst,  where  in  the  summer  of 
1855  he  had  engaged  in  sawmilling. 

In  October,  1861,  Mr.  Nelson  enlisted  in 
Company  H,  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry. 
Entering  winter  quarters  at  Janesville,  Wis. , 
the  regiment  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  in 
March,  1862,  and  two  months  later  to 
Leavenworth,  Kans.  Here  its  misson  was 
to  exterminate  Quantrell's  notorious  guer- 
rilla band,  then  committing  depredations 
and  atrocities  along  the  western  border,  and 
to  guard  supplj'  trains  from  Fort  Scott  to 
Fort  Gibson,  on  the  Arkansas  river.  Mr. 
Nelson  served  in  the  West  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  was  promoted  to  first  lieuten- 
ant during  his  service.  When  mustered  out 
he  returned  to  Amherst  and  resumed  his 
milling  operations. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


47 


In  1 8  5  5  Mr.  Nelson  built  a  sawmill,  which, 
to  use  his  own  words,  "wore  out."  In  i868 
he  erected  the  gristmill  at  Nelsonville;  in 
1873  purchased  a  large  flouring-mill  at  Am- 
herst, and  in  1874  he  put  up  a  steam  saw- 
mill in  Nelson,  all  of  which  mills  he  has 
since  operated,  the  product  of  them  linding 
a  market  all  over  the  State.  He  was  the 
first  man  to  build  a  dam  at  Nelsonville,  and 
utilize  the  e.xcellent  water-power  there 
found.  The  land  on  which  his  mills  and 
elegant  home  stand  he  bought  of  the  gov- 
ernment in  1854.  He  is  also  interested  in 
a  sawmill  in  Oneida  county,  Wis.,  which 
cuts  some  ten  million  feet  of  lumber  each 
season.  Mr.  Nelson  furnished  the  capital, 
and  the  company  is  known  as  the  Nelson 
Lumber  and  Boom  Co.,  the  industry  being 
located  on  the  Pelican  river. 

In  May,  1S53,  Mr.  Nelson  was  married, 
in  Washington  county.  Wis.,  to  Miss  Mani- 
la A.  Yerkes,  who  was  born,  in  1835,  in 
Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Caro- 
line (Calkins)  Yerkes,  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  latter  of  New  York  State. 
Thej-  for  a  time  resided  in  Michigan,  whence 
about  the  year  1847  they  came  to  Wiscon- 
sin, settling  in  Barton  township,  Washing- 
ton county,  where  Mr.  Yerkes  engaged  in 
the  sawmilling  business.  There  they  died, 
the  mother  in  1868,  the  father  in  1893,  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Marion 
(now  Mrs.  Philips,  of  Amherst);  Oliver  J. 
(a  farmer  of  Colby,  Clark  Co.,  Wis.),  who 
was  a  soldier  during  the  Civil  war,  in  a  New 
York  Cavalry  regiment;  Hannah  E.,  who 
died  in  Michigan  at  the  age  of  fourteen; 
Marilla  A.  (Mrs.  Jerome  Nelson);  Lovilla  L. 
(Mrs.  Baker),  living  in  Kansas;  George  W., 
in  Wisconsin;  and  Sara  E.  (Mrs.  Eli  Hanks), 
of  Washington  county,  Wis.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nelson  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but 
have  an  adopted  daughter.  Flora  S.,  who 
has  lived  with  them  since  her  infancy;  she  is 
now  the  wife  of  John  S.  Loberg  (who  is  in 
Mr.  Nelson's  employ),  and  they  have  three 
children:  Russell  Jerome,  Ruby  S.  and  Eva 
L.  Mrs.  Nelson  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  Socially  Mr.  Nel- 
son has  been  a  member  of  the  F.  and  A.  M., 
since  joining  Evergreen  Lodge  of  Stevens 
Point,    in    1878,    and    also    of  the  Crusade 


Commandery,  same  place;  but  on  account 
of  the  distance  from  his  home  he  has  been 
unable  to  attend  the  meetings  with  any  de- 
gree of  regularity.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. In  1876  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature;  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  but  refused  to  qualifj,  for  the 
reason  that  the  judicial  duties  were  distaste- 
ful to  one  of  his  sympathetic  nature.  He 
has  served  several  terms  on  the  town  board. 
Mr.  Nelson  is  foremost  in  all  matters  relat- 
ing to  the  welfare  and  improvement  of  his 
township  and  county,  is  public-spirited,  and 
ever  ready  to  encourage  worthy  enterprises. 
He  is  a  typical  self-made  man,  never  having 
received  assistance  from  any  one.  The  in- 
dustry he  has  founded  has  proved  a  source 
of  much  revenue  to  the  surrounding  country. 


FREDERICK  S.  GARLAND,  a   lead- 
ing   lumberman    and   representative 
citizen   of  northern   Wisconsin,  was 
born    in   Rock    county.    Wis. ,    near 
Evansville,  September  12,   1858. 

Joseph  C.  Garland,  his  father,  was  born 
at  Great  Falls,  N.  H.,  in  May,  1833.  He 
attended  the  common  schools,  worked  on 
the  farm  and  in  the  cotton  mills,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  came  west  and  worked  for  a 
time  in  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin,  afterward 
settling  on  a  farm  in  Green  county.  There 
he  married  Eliza  N.  Broadbent,  a  native  of 
Goole,  Yorkshire,  England,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Alice  Broadbent,  who  had  two 
children:  Sarah  and  Eliza  N.  Mrs.  Eliza 
N.  Garland's  parents  came  to  America  when 
she  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Her  father 
was  a  baker  by  trade,  but  afterward  devoted 
his  time  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  Green 
county.  Wis.,  where  he  died  in  1859.  Mrs. 
Broadbent  was  later  united  in  marriage  with 
J.  F.  Eggleston,  removing  shortly  afterward 
to  Nebraska,  where  Mr.  Eggleston  died,  his 
widow  still  residing  there.  Joseph  C.  Gar- 
land's family  consisted  of  four  children; 
F.  S.,  Ida  Maria,  Alice  Lucinda  and  Frank  J. 
He  spent  his  life  as  a  lumberman,  cutting 
the  timber  and  rafting  the  logs  down  the 
river.  He  resided  in  and  near  Wausau, 
Wis.,  for  twenty-five  years,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 21,   1893.      The  grandfather  of  the  sub- 


48 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ject  of  our  sketch,  Hiram  Garland,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  a 
Lucinda  Smith,  who  had  six  children,  viz. : 
Franklin,  Dudley,  Ann,  Angeline,  Joseph  C, 
and  Winslow,  the  youngest,  who  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  in  September, 
1862.  Hiram  Garland  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation. The  grandparents  both  died  in 
New  Hampshire. 

The  early  life  of  Frederick  S.  Garland, 
the  gentleman  introduced  at  the  commence- 
ment of  this  sketch,  was  spent  in  Wausau, 
■where  he  received  his  education  and  assisted 
his  father  in  his  business.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
him  in  the  wholesale  lumber  business,  and 
since  the  latter's  death  has  carried  on  the 
business  himself,  being  an  extensive  dealer 
in  lumber,  piles,  railroad  ties,  etc.  Mr. 
Garland  was  married,  in  the  fall  of  1887,  to 
Olive  Goff,  of  Marathon  county.  Wis. , 
daughter  of  Benedict  N.  and  Mary  (Harris) 
Goff,  who  had  eight  children,  viz. :  Charles 
N.,  Daniel  J.,  Mary  M.,  Asa  A.,  Oliver  O., 
Laura  L. ,  Olive  and  Albertine.  Mr.  Goff 
was  born  in  Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1830; 
his  father  and  two  brothers  came  from  Eng- 
land. Mrs.  Goff  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
in  I  840,  of  German  descent.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Garland  have  two  children,  viz.:  Ruble  V., 
born  in  November,  18S8,  and  Guy  N.,  born 
in  March,  1891.  In  politics  Mr.  Garland  is 
a  stanch  Democrat,  and  takes  a  deep  inter- 
est in  public  affairs,  but  is  no  office-seeker. 
He  holds  the  position  of  supervisor  of  his 
ward,  and  by  an  upright  life  has  won  the 
respect  of  the  entire  community. 


HKLOSTERMAN,  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative prosperous  citizens  of  Sha- 
wano county,  agricultiirist,  dealer  in 
real  estate,  and  capitalist,  is  a  native 
of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Oldenburg,  Germany, 
born  April  20,  1832.  He  is  the  eldest  in 
the  family  of  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters born  to  Gerhard  H.  Klosterman,  a  tailor 
by  trade  in  Oldenburg,  where  he  passed  all 
his  days. 

Our  subject  received  a  somevvnat  lim- 
ited common-school  training  in  his  native 
land,  and  was  offered  free  education  for  the 


ministry,  but  declined.  But  what  he  may 
not  have  learned  at  school,  where  he  was  a 
quick  and  apt  scholar,  he  made  up  for  by 
home  study  and  a  close  observation  of  men 
and  things,  and  he  also  commenced  earning 
money  at  a  very  early  age,  for  at  about  the 
age  of  ten  we  find  him  herding  cattle  and 
sheep,  receiving,  it  is  true,  very  small 
wages.  In  his  youth  he  displayed  a  pen- 
chant for  carpentry,  and,  learning  the  trade, 
followed  it  till  1855,  in  which  jear,  in  com- 
pany with  his  uncle,  Edwin  Wilke  (his 
mother's  brother),  who  kindly  furnished  him 
with  the  means,  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  the  voyage  being  made  on  the  sail- 
ing vessel  '•  Nelson"  from  Bremen  for  New 
York,  the  voyage  occupying  seven  weeks, 
three  days.  From  the  latter  cit\'  the  jour- 
ney was  made  by  rail  to  Buffalo,  thence  by 
lake  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  where  our  subject 
secured  work  among  the  farmers,  the  first 
money  he  earned  in  the  United  States  be- 
ing at  chopping  cordwood,  an  "  art  "  he  was 
taught  by  a  woman.  Here  he  remained 
until  early  in  the  spring  of  1857,  when  he 
moved  to  near  Two  Rivers,  where  his  uncle 
lived,  for  whom  he  now  worked,  in  order  to 
repay  him  the  price  of  his  passage  from 
Germany.  Subsequently  he  worked  for 
other  farmers,  and  later  in  a  sawmill  and 
gristmill  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  Two  Riv- 
ers, for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  went  to  Racine,  Wis.,  and  on  the 
prairie  near  that  cit)- worked  as  a  farm  hand, 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  going  into  the 
lumber  woods. 

In  his  somewhat  varied  experience  Mr. 
Klosterman  traveled  considerably  over  the 
State  of  Wisconsin,  and  at  one  time  while 
at  Mayville,  Dodge  county,  he  bargained 
with  Charles  Rudebusch  to  drive  some  cat- 
tle from  there  to  Shawano,  at  which  latter 
place,  then  a  mere  hamlet  of  a  few  shanties, 
he  in  the  fall  of  i860  found  work  in  the 
lumber  woods.  In  the  following  spring  he 
married,  an  event  that  will  be  spoken  of 
further  on,  and  he  and  his  young  wife  com- 
menced keeping  house  in  a  log  building  that 
stood  near  the  present  outskirts  of  the  city; 
and  even  this  humble  home  he  did  not  own, 
for  he  bought  on  credit.  He  also  bought  a 
team  of   oxen  and  a  couple  of  cows,    and 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


49 


with  these  oxen  he  went  jobbing;  but  an 
unfortunate  accident  happened  to  him  which 
f^ave  to  his  now  rising  prospects  a  cruel  set- 
back. One  day,  in  the  spring  of  t86i, 
while  he  was  engaged  at  plowing  his  lot  with 
this  same  \'oke  of  oxen,  making  ready  to 
put  in  his  crops,  the  tree-stumps  obtruding 
themselves  pretty  thickly  around,  the  plow 
accidentally  caught  on  one  of  them,  which 
caused  the  team  to  give  a  sudden  jerk, 
whereby  the  plow  handle  struck  Mr.  Klos- 
terman  a  violent  blow  close  by  the  knee  of 
the  left  leg.  This  produced  a  fever  sore, 
later  a  stiff  limb  with  a  running  sore  which 
left  him  helpless  for  a  whole  year.  He  had 
just  been  married,  and  his  small  pile  of  sav- 
ings was  soon  reduced  to  a  minimum,  ren- 
dering his  condition,  physically  and  finan- 
cially, anything  but  encouraging.  He  was 
helpless  as  far  as  manual  labor  was  con- 
cerned, and  it  became  clear  that  his  atten- 
tion must  be  given  to  something  else  totally 
different  to  what  he  had  been  accustomed 
to;  so  he  undertook  whatever  kind  of  work 
his  enfeebled  condition  would  permit  him  to 
do.  In  consequence  of  his  already  injured 
limb  having  in  December,  1889,  received  a 
further  hurt  by  being  severely  cut  with  an 
axe  while  he  was  chopping  woodat  his  home, 
he  suffered  so  severely  that  the  leg  had  to 
be  amputated  September  6,    1890. 

For  a  time  Mr.  Klosterman  kept  a  small 
saloon  and  grocery  in  Shawano,  after  which 
he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  vil- 
lage three  years,  then  as  register  of  deeds 
four  years,  deputy  clerk  two  years,  and  he 
was  county  judge  of  Shawano  county  six- 
teen years,  the  longest  term  held  by  any  in- 
cumbent in  that  office.  In  February,  1894, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  An- 
drews &  Klosterman,  who  conduct  a  general 
store  in  ShawE.no. 

On  April  20,  1861,  Mr.  Klosterman  was 
married  in  Shawano  to  Miss  Ernstein  Fink, 
a  native  of  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Ger- 
many, born  December  21,  1843,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  children  as  follows: 
Louise,  born  January  18,  1862,  died  Sep- 
tember 17,  1862,  and  George  H.,  born  June 
26,  1869,  living  at  home  with  his  parents. 
In  his  political  preferences  our  subject  has 
been  a  Republican  ever  since  Lincoln's  first 


term,  though  his  first  vote  was  cast  at  Two 
Rivers  for  James  Buchanan.  In  addition  to 
his  other  interests  which  keep  him  busy  he 
is  vice-president  of  the  Shawano  County 
Bank,  and  deals  extensively  in  real  estate, 
owning  at  the  present  time  between  600  and 
800  acres,  chiefly  timber  land.  He  is  in  all 
respects  a  public-spirited  citizen,  of  that 
stamen  which  is  recognized  as  the  bone  and 
sinew  of  any  new  country  and    community. 


JOSEPH  HOMIER,  a  private  banker 
and  a  leading  merchant  of  Mosinee, 
Marathon  county,  is  not  only  one  of 
the  most  prominent  business  men  in 
that  county,  but  his  influence  is  much 
broader,  and  he  is  well-known  throughout 
the  entire  State  of  Wisconsin.  His  train- 
ing has  been  that  of  a  business  man,  both  in 
early  education  and  in  the  various  vocations 
which  he  has  pursued  in  life.  All  seemed 
directly  or  indirectly  to  be  important  in  fit- 
ting him  for  the  indispensible  and  all-im- 
portant field  in  which  he  has  now  for  many 
years  been  engaged. 

Mr.  Homier  was  born  in  Montreal,  Can- 
ada, December  7,  1829,  and  is  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Margaret  (Desnoier)  Homier, 
both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  Canada. 
The  father,  who  by  occupation  was  a  mer- 
chant tailor  in  Montreal,  Canada,  bestowed 
upon  his  son  Joseph  a  course  in  an  English 
Business  College  in  that  city.  Later  the 
young  man  studied  French  for  tvvo  years  un- 
der a  private  teacher.  After  completing 
these  studies,  he  was  engaged  for  a  year  as 
salesman  in  a  dry-goods  store  at  Montreal, 
and  for  six  months  as  salesman  in  a  jewelry 
store.  He  was  not  yet  sixteen  years  old 
when  he  left  Canada  for  New  York  City, 
and  after  a  year's  residence  in  that  city  he 
went  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  enlisted  in 
the  quartermaster's  department  of  the  United 
States  army,  and  served  some  seven  months, 
or  until  the  close  of  the  Mexican  war.  Up- 
on his  discharge  Mr.  Homier  returned  tcj 
New  Orleans,  and  thence  proceeded  to  Buf- 
falo, where  for  six  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  with  his  father.  Joining 
the  strong  tide  of  emigration  which  was 
then  flowing  to  Wisconsin  via  Buffalo,  Mr. 


5° 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOQRAVHICAL   RECORD. 


Homier  in  1852  moved  to  Sheboygan,  and 
there  opened  a  hotel  which  he  conducted 
two  years.  That  closed  his  experience  as 
a  hotel  proprietor.  He  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  pioneer  country,  and  the 
mercantile  business  seemed  to  offer  tempt- 
ing possibilities.  Accordingly,  in  1854,  Mr. 
Homier  removed  to  Grand  Rapids,  Wis., 
and  there  opened  a  general  merchandise 
business.  Its  success  may  be  judged  from 
the  fact  that  he  continued  in  the  trade  in 
that  city  some  twenty  years.  In  1874,  he 
removed  his  business  to  Wausau,  and  con- 
tinued in  mercantile  trade  there  for  six 
years.  Then,  in  1880,  he  came  to  Mosinee, 
and  in  addition  to  general  merchandising 
engaged  in  banking  and  lumbering.  His 
business  during  the  past  fifteen  years  has 
grown  to  large  proportions,  and  to-day  Mr. 
Homier  ranks  among  the  most  prominent 
business  men  of  northern  Wisconsin. 

In  1854  he  was  married,  at  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Caroline  Martin,  a  native  of 
the  Province  of  Quebec;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Homier  have  adopted  five  children,  two  of 
whom  survive,  Daisy  Martin,  wife  of  Frank 
McReynolds,  bookkeeper  for  the  Joseph 
Dessert  Lumber  Co.  for  the  past  sixteen 
years,  and  Hattie  Martin,  at  home.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Homier  attend  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church;  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 


BALSER     WILLIAMS,     formerly     a 
successful  business  man  of  Wausau, 
and  now  leading  a  retired  life,  was 
born    in   Prussia,  Germany,  June  3, 
1835,    son    of   Anton    and    Caroline    (Low) 
Williams,  both  of  whom  lived    and   died   in 
the  Fatherland. 

In  his  boyhood  Balser  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools,  but  he  early  evinced  a  liking  for 
outdoor  pursuits,  and  when  his  school-days 
were  past  he  followed  farming  and  stage 
driving  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when, 
in  the  year  1853,  he  emigrated  to  America. 
For  nearly  a  year  he  lived  at  Reading,  Penn. , 
finding  employment  in  the  iron  mines  near 
that  city,  and  in  August,  1854,  came  to 
Wausau,  where  he  has  ever  since  remained, 
a  valuable  and  prominent  citizen.  Like 
many  of  the   pioneers  to  this    region    Mr. 


Williams  first  engaged  in  lumbering  and  in 
rafting  on  the  Wisconsin  river.  He  was 
thus  engaged  nine  years,  and  in  1866,  he 
began  a  lumbering  business  of  his  own,  fol- 
lowing it  successfully  for  five  years.  Mr. 
Williams  then  gave  his  attention  to  real 
estate,  in  which  he  was  engaged  continuously 
until  June,  1894,  save  two  years  when  he 
conducted  a  liver}'  business.  He  has  pros- 
pered, and  at  the  expiration  of  a  forty-years" 
career  he  is  well  entitled  to  a  surcease  from 
active  life. 

Mr.  \\^illiams  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Miss  Katrina  Kuhl.  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  whom  he  married  in  Col- 
umbia count}-,  W^is.,  and  by  whom  there 
were  three  children:  Charles  A.;  Margaret, 
wife  of  Henr}'  Wolslegel,  who  died  June  22, 
1886;  and  Mary,  deceased  in  infanc}'.  Mrs. 
W^illiams  died  April  16,  1862,  and  on  July 
17,  1864,  Mr.  Williams  was  again  united 
in  marriage,  this  time  to  Miss  Amelia  Pes- 
sert,  a  native  of  Germany.  Their  two 
children  are  Caroline,  wife  of  Jacob  F. 
Emter,  and  Albert,  a  resident  of  \Vausau.  Mr. 
Williams  and  family  are  members  of  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Church.  In  politics  he 
is  Democratic.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A. 
O.  U.  W.,  and  has  twice,  in  1878  and  in 
1884,  represented  the  First  ward  as  alder- 
man in  the  common  council. 


ANDREW  WILLIAMS,  sheriff  of 
Waupaca  county,  has  been  identi- 
fied with  its  many  interests  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Scandinavia,  Waupaca  Co. ,  Wis. ,  August 
4,  1853,  the  son  of  Ora  Wilhelm  and  Anna 
(Anderson)  Boggton.  The  father  was  a 
Norwegian  of  liberal  education  and  many 
accomplishments,  the  eldest  of  a  family, 
which  owned  in  the  native  land  a  large  es- 
state,  six  miles  square.  He  had  two  broth- 
ers and  four  sisters.  In  1848  the  father 
sold  his  interests  in  Norway,  and  with  his 
wife  and  two  children — Anna  and  Betsey  — 
emigrated  to  America,  coming  to  Wiscon- 
sin. For  one  year  he  resided  at  Milwaukee, 
then,  in  1849,  he  settled  on  the  farm  in 
Waupaca  county,  where  he  still  resides, 
and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Scan- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


51 


dinavia  township.  Eight  other  children 
were  born  in  this  country:  Annie  Betsey, 
WiUiani,  Andrew,  Dena,  Bie,  Edward,  Louis 
and  Anton. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  amidst 
the  surroundings  of  this  pioneer  home,  at- 
tending school  during  the  winters,  and  by 
his  unremitting  labors  helping  to  clear  and 
cultivate  his  father's  broad  acres.  But  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  an  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself  for  his  material  advancement, 
and  he  was  not  slow  to  grasp  it.  The  rail- 
road was  pushing  itself  westward  and  north- 
ward, calling  out  for  its  construction  the  worl; 
of  many  hands.  Andrew  secured  a  position 
as  foreman  of  the  grading,  and  in  that  capac- 
ity followed  road-building  for  two  years.  In 
1872  he  went  to  Fort  Howard,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  machinist  and  blacksmith.  He 
quickly  turned  his  new  acquisition  to  ac- 
count by  opening  and  operating  a  machine 
shop  at  High  Forest,  Minn.,  with  his  brother 
as  partner,  the  firm  also  handling  farm  ma- 
chinery. Mr.  Williams  remained  in  Minne- 
sota from  1S75  to  1882,  sper.dinghis  winters, 
however,  at  home  at  Waupaca.  In  1883  he 
was  married  at  Rochester,  Minn. ,  to  Mary  M. 
King,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  daughter  of 
Ira  and  Harriet  (Bradshaw)  King.  The 
father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
of  German  descent.  The  mother  was  a 
native  of  New  York.  Mr.  King  had  re- 
moved to  Illinois  with  his  wife  and  two 
daughters,  Lizzie  and  Mary  M.,  and  here  he 
enlisted  in  the  army,  and  gave  up  his  life  in 
the  Federal  cause.  After  marriage  Mr. 
Williams  devoted  himself  extensively  to 
farming.  He  settled  on  the  home  farm, 
leased  another  large  tract  of  land,  and  con- 
ducted the  two  farms  jointly. 

Mr.  Williams'  prominent  official  life  in 
the  county  begins  with  his  appointment  as 
deputy  sheriff  and  jailer  in  1887.  He  served 
in  that  capacity  two  years,  and  was  then 
elected  sheriff,  assuming  the  office  January 
I,  1889.  Two  years  later  his  brother  Ed- 
ward was  elected  sheriff,  and  Andrew  was 
again  appointed  deputy  sheriff.  In  1892 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  again  honored 
with  the  office  by  his  fellow  citizens.  His 
official  life  has  been  filled  with  stirring  inci- 
dents, which  brought  out   the  sterling  traits 


of  his  character.  He  has  been  relentless  in 
running  down  criminals,  and  in  consequence 
of  the  signal  detective  ability  which  he  has 
displayed,  he  has  done  incalculable  good  for 
good  government  in  Waupaca  county.  Many 
times  has  his  life  been  threatened,  and  many 
inducements  have  been  offered  him  to  per- 
mit the  guilty  to  escape;  but  Mr.  Williams 
has  marked  out  for  himself  one  plain  course 
of  duty  and  faithfulness,  and  he  never 
swerved  therefrom.  He  made  three  trips 
to  the  Pacific  coast  for  criminals,  and  two  to 
the  Atlantic  coast.  His  terms  of  office  have 
been  marked  by  the  trials  of  many  cele- 
brated criminal  cases,  notably  the  Meade 
murder  trial,  and  Mr.  Williams  won  great 
praise  for  the  able  manner  in  which  he  ad- 
ministered the  criminal  affairs  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Williams  is  well  known  throughout 
the  State.  He  is  attached  to  the  Repub- 
lican cause,  and  prominent  in  the  party 
councils.  He  is  interested  especially  in  the 
welfare  of  his  home  county,  and  is  an  alder- 
man of  Waupaca  city.  His  society  affilia- 
tions are  with  the  Masons  and  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  has  a  beautiful  home  of  200 
acres  adjoining  the  city  of  Waupaca,  where 
he  resides  with  his  wife  and  children,  Anna 
Belle,  Robert  E. ,  Andrew  Lynde  and  Esther. 
Besides  looking  after  general  farming  he  is 
widely  known  as  a  breeder  of  fine  sheep  and 
other  high-grade  stock.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  His  successful  and 
useful  life  is  the  result  of  his  own  exertions 
and  energies,  and  in  every  sense  of  the  word 
Mr.  Williams  is  a  self-made  man. 


LC.  BOLD,  the  honored  mayor  of 
Shawano,  and  editor  and  manager  of 
t\\Q  Shmvano  County  WocJtciiblatt,  is 
a  native  of  Hessen-Nassau,  Ger- 
many, born  June  10,  1848,  and  a  son  of 
Christopher  Bold,  a  highly-educated  man, 
who  was  born  January  7,  1824.  He  was 
instructed  in  some  of  the  best  educational 
institutions  of  Germany,  won  a  high  reputa- 
tion as  a  teacher,  and  was  employed  at  sev- 
eral schools  of  the  Province  Hessen-Nassau. 
His  death,  which  occurred  August  7,  1894, 
was  the  cause  of  an  extended  obituary  in 
the  educational  paper  issued  by  the  institu- 


52 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tion  where  he  had  given  such  excellent  serv- 
ice for  so  many  j'ears,  winning  a  reputation 
that  was  far  more  than  local.  His  family 
numbered  six  children — two  sons  and  four 
daughters. 

Our  subject  attended  the  public  schools 
until  ten  years  of  age,  and  then  entered  col- 
lege at  Cassel;  after  which  he  pursued  his 
studies.  He  acquired  an  excellent  educa- 
tion, and  then  resolved  to  cross  the  Atlantic 
to  America,  which  he  believed  offered  a  bet- 
ter field  to  ambitious  young  men  than  was 
afforded  in  his  native  country.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1868,  at  Bremen,  he  embarked  on  the 
vessel  "Herrmann,"  which,  after  thirteen 
days,  reached  the  harbor  of  New^  York.  He 
remained  for  some  time  in  the  East,  and  in 
1872  was  made  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  he  entered  a  drug  store,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  line  of  business  for  some  time. 

In  1869  Mr.  Bold  was  married  in  New 
York  to  Miss  Babetta  Lieb,  a  native  of 
German}-,  and  to  them  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: Paul,  who  was  drowned  in  1880; 
Charles  F. ,  one  of  the  prominent  young 
men  of  Shawano,  now  employed  in  his 
father's  newspaper  office;  and  Louis,  who  is 
also  connected  with  journalistic  work.  In 
November,  1884,  Mr.  Bold  came  to 
Shawano.  At  that  time  the  Skaivaiio 
County  Democrat  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  sheriff,  the  former  proprietors  having 
failed  to  make  it  a  profitable  investment. 
A  company  was  formed,  consisting  of  Au- 
gust Koepper,  president;  Ed  Somers,  sec- 
retarj-;  and  L.  C.  Bold,  editor  and  mana- 
ger. The  paper  was  changed  to  its  present 
name,  and  the  first  copy  appeared  January 
15,  1885.  In  October,  1888,  the  company 
was  incorporated  as  the  Shawano  Printing 
Association,  and  Mr.  Bold  is  now  president 
and  secretary  as  well  as  editor  and  manager. 
The  circulation  has  been  greatly  increased, 
Mr.  Bold  having  successfully  managed  the 
enterprise,  until  the  paper  is  now  one  of  the 
leading  German  publications  in  northern 
Wisconsin.  It  is  well-edited,  and  is  a  very 
readable  sheet.  The  equipment  of  the  office 
is  by  far  the  most  modern  in  Shawano,  hav- 
ing a  cylinder  press  and  other  machinery  for 
first-class  work,  driven  by  steam  power. 


In  politics  Mr.  Bold  has  always  been  a 
Democrat,  but  at  local  elections  does  not 
closely  draw  the  party  lines,  preferring  to 
support  the  man  whom  he  thinks  best  quali- 
fied for  office,  regardless  of  his  political  com- 
plexion. In  the  spring  of  1895  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Shawano  on  the  Citizen's 
ticket,  defeating  James  Black  by  59  majori- 
ty. From  1888  until  1890  he  was  justice  of 
the  peace;  in  1891  was  supervisor  of  the  Sec- 
ond ward  of  the  city  of  Shawano;  in  1893 
was  chairman  of  the  county  board  of  super- 
visors; and  in  1894  was  again  appointed 
justice  of  the  peace,  serving  until  the  spring 
of  1895  with  the  same  fidelit}-  that  has 
marked  his  official  career  in  its  various  ca- 
pacities. Socially  Mr.  Bold  is  a  member  of 
Neptune  Lodge,  No.  46,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
has  been  delegate  to  two  grand  lodges.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Germania  Society  of  Mil- 
waukee, and  organized  Enterprise  Encamp- 
ment I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  city,  prominently  identified  with 
its  public  interests,  a  man  who  faithfully  does 
his  dut}-  to  himself,  to  his  neighbor,  and  to 
his  country.  His  public  and  private  career 
are  alike  above  reproach,  and  all  who  know 
him  respect  him. 


JOHN  H.  COFFMAN,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  the  village  of 
Marion,  Waupaca  county,  where  he 
owns  a  handsome  home  and  a  well- 
cultivated  farm  adjoining,  is  a  retired  rail- 
road man.  For  many  jears  he  was  connect- 
ed with  several  of  the  best  western  railroads, 
and  when,  as  an  official  of  the  Milwaukee, 
Lake  Shore  &  Western  railroad,  which  was 
built  through  the  rich  virgin  lands  of  northern 
Wisconsin,  he  saw  the  possible  development 
of  that  region,  he  forthwith  acquired  a  well- 
selected  farm,  and  upon  his  retirement  from 
active  railroad  life  identified  himself  with  the 
interests  of  the  Upper  Wisconsin  \'alley. 

Mr.  Coffman  was  born  in  Edgar  county, 
111.,  September  i,  1838,  son  of  \\'illiam  and 
Lydia  (Akard)  Coffman,  natives  of  \'irginia, 
who  at  a  very  early  day  migrated  by  team 
to  Edgar  county,  111.,  and  settled  upon  wild 
land  in  Grandview  township.  Mr.  Coffman 
improved  the  land,  devoted   it  to  fruit  cul- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


53^ 


ture,  and  made  it  his  home  for  Hfe.  He  died 
from  injuries  caused  by  his  being  accident- 
ally run  into  by  a  railroad  engine  while 
walking  on  the  track.  His  excellent  wife 
preceded  him  to  the  grave,  dying  November 
5,  1 87 1.  They  reared  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  as  follows:  James,  a  resident  of 
Kansas,  111. ;  Joseph,  his  twin  brother,  a 
resident  of  Dudley,  111. ;  Susan,  wife  of 
Lindsay  Welch,  of  Edgar  county,  111. ; 
Jerome,  a  resident  of  Arkansas;  John  H. ; 
Caroline,  wife  of  John  Welch,  of  Evanston, 
111. ;  Daniel,  who  occupies  the  old  home- 
stead in  Edgar  county.  111. ;  George,  a  depu- 
ty sheriff  at  Chicago,  111. ;  Mary,  now  Airs. 
Ratz,  of  Kansas;  Frank,  of  Arkansas;  Belle, 
wife  of  Rev.  Schuman,  a  M.  E.  minister, 
now  of  Kansas;  and  America,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Low,  of  Paris,  Illinois. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Grandview  town- 
ship, and  at  the  academy  at  Paris,  111.  He 
enlisted  at  Paris  June  14,  1862,  in  Company 
G,  Seventieth  111.  V.  I.,  for  three  months, 
serving  at  Camp  Butler  and  at  Alton,  111., 
in  guarding  prisoners  until  mustered  out  in 
October,  1862.  Returning  to  Edgar  coun- 
ty, he  sold  histories  of  the  war  until  1865, 
when  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  road  as  a  conductor.  Remaining 
in  that  capacity  six  years  on  the  C.  &  A. ,  he 
in  1 87 1  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the 
Indiana,  Bloomington  &  Western  railroad, 
running  the  construction  train  between  Pe- 
oria and  Danville.  The  following  year  he 
accepted  a  run  on  the  Chicago  and  North 
Western  road,  with  headquarters  at  Clinton, 
Iowa.  In  1877  he  came  to  Wisconsin,  run- 
ning as  conductor  on  the  Oconto  branch,  and 
on  the  Marshfield  and  Southern  divisions. 
He  was  with  the  Milwaukee,  Lake  Shore  & 
Western  when  the  Northern  division  was  built 
through  to  Ashland,  and  the  station  Marion 
— ^where  he  now  lives — was  by  Manager 
Reed  named  after  Mrs.  Coffman's  sister, 
Mary,  who  was  Mrs.  James  Churchill.  She 
was  the  first  white  woman  to  come  to  that 
section  of  the  country.  Mary  Churchill  died 
July  7,  1862.  Mrs.  Coffman  was  the  first 
white  woman  to  ride  over  the  road  from 
Clintonville  to  Sheboygan,  a  distance  of  105 
miles.     After  serving  for  seven  years  as  con- 


ductor, Mr.  Coffman  was,  in  1884,  promot- 
ed to  the  official  title  of  roadmaster  between 
Oshkosh  and  Milwaukee,  a  position  which 
he  filled  until  1893.  Since  then  he  has  en- 
gaged in  farming. 

Mr.  Coffman  was  married,  in  1865,  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Warnick,  a  native  of  Canada, 
daughter  of  John  C.  and  Ellen  (Johnson) 
Warnick,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York, 
the  latter  of  Canada.  John  C.  Warnick 
was  a  farmer,  and  in  185 1  moved  from 
Canada  to  Grant  township,  Shawano  Co. , 
Wis.,  and  opened  up  a  farm,  the  nearest 
market  then  being  New  London.  Mr.  War- 
nick died  February  3,  1882,  his  wife  Janu- 
ary 20,  1885.  They  reared  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  we  have  record  as 
follows:  Charlotte,  who  died  at  Eau  Claire, 
Wis.,  in  July,  1891;  Eliza,  who  died  in 
Clinton,  Iowa;  Mary,  who  died  in  Shawano 
county.  Wis. ;  Elizabeth,  who  also  died  on 
the  home  place;  John,  who  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-first  Wis.  V.  I.,  served  three  years, 
and  died  February  22,  1877,  at  Clinton, 
Iowa;  Thomas,  who  enlisted  in  the  Eighth 
Wis.  V.  C,  served  three  years,  and  died  in 
Madison,  Wis.,  in  1865;  Isabelle,  of  Osh- 
kosh; James,  who  enlisted  in  a  Wisconsin 
infantry  regiment,  and  now  resides  on  a  farm 
in  Oconto  county;  Joseph,  of  Kaukauna, 
Wis.,  a  fireman  on  the  Chicago  &  North 
Western  railroad;  Sarah  A.,  Mrs.  Coffman; 
Susan  Burslam.  died  February  22,  1883; 
and  Archibald  Warnick,  now  living  in  Ta- 
coma,  Washington. 

Mr.  Coffman  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 
Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  of  which  he  is  also  a  trustee.  They 
cleared  the  land  that  now  constitutes  their 
pleasant  and  commodious  home,  and  have 
noted  the  rapid  development  of  the  country 
that  has  followed  the  advent  of  the  iron  horse. 


EDWARD  J.  ROLLER  (deceased)  was 
born  March  25,  1857,  in  Watertown, 
Dodge  Co.,  Wis.,  a  son  of  John  and 
Anna  (Johis)  Roller,  natives  of  Aus- 
tria, who  were  the  parents  of  six  children — 
Mary,  Augusta,  Edward  J.,  John,  Anna  and 
Amelia. 

In  1853  the  parents  of  our  subject  came 


54 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


to  America  and  to  Wisconsin,  settling  in 
Watertown,  Jefferson  county,  where  they 
remained  some  ten  years,  then  removing  to 
Richwood,  Dodge  county,  where  the  father 
is  yet  Hving,  all  these  years  following  his 
trade,  that  of  blacksmith,  in  connection 
with  farming.  The  mother  died  November 
20,  1 886.  John  Roller,  paternal  grandfather 
of  Edward  J.,  came  to  America  from  Austria 
with  his  children,  and  died  in  June,  1891, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years;  the  grand- 
mother, now  at  the  patriarchal  age  of  ninety 
years,  is  at  present  living  at  the  home  of 
her  son  John;  they  had  two  children — John 
and  Anna. 

The  subject  proper  of  this  memoir  was 
reared  on  the  farm,  assisting  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  at  which 
time  he  went  to  Minneapolis,  where  he  com- 
menced the  trade  of  cooper,  which  he  car- 
ried on  there  some  live  years,  and  then  sell- 
ing out  in  1883  embarked  in  the  saloon  trade, 
continuing  thereat  in  Minneapolis  till  1887, 
in  which  year  he  came  to  Tomahawk,  Lin- 
coln county,  and  opened  out  a  general  mer- 
cantile business,  one  of  the  first  in  that  line 
to  be  commenced  in  the  place.  By  strict 
attention  to  the  wants  of  his  customers, 
honest  dealing  and  courteous  deportment, 
he  succeeded  in  building  up  a  remunerative 
business  and  surrounding  himself  with  hosts 
of  friends,  among  whom  he  was  a  recog- 
nized leader.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile 
business  he  was  interested  in  other  indus- 
tries, including  logging  and  handling  of  wood, 
etc. ,  for  he  was  one  of  the  most  active  busi- 
ness men  in  northern  Wisconsin.  But  death 
interrupted  his  busy  life,  he  being  called  from 
earth  January  1,  1893,  in  the  heyday  of  his 
early  manhood  and  zenith  of  his  usefulness, 
deeply  mourned  by  all  who  knew  him. 

In  June,  1885,  Mr.  Roller  was  married 
to  Miss  Josephine  M.  Cabott,  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Henrietta  Cabott,  who  were  the 
parents  of  si.\  children,  to  wit:  Michael, 
Leopold,  Julia,  Amelia,  Leonard  and  Jose- 
phine M.  Martin  Cabott,  father  of  this 
family,  was  born  near  Berlin,  Prussia,  in 
182 1,  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  was 
married  in  Posen,  Germany,  in  1840,  and 
came  to  America  in  1855,  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  died  in 


1855.  His  wife  was  born  in  Berlin,  Prussia, 
in  1822,  a  daughter  of  Judge  John  Van  Zoe- 
bol,  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in 
that  city,  who  had  a  family  of  seven  sons 
and  five  daughters.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  Mrs.  Henrietta  Cabott  moved  from 
Detroit  to  Watertown,  Wis.,  and  was  there 
married  to  a  Mr.  Howard,  by  whom  she  had 
five  children,  named  respectively,  Theodore, 
Albert,  Rosa,  Ferdinand  and  Henry.  Mr. 
Howard  died  in  the  fall  of  1893,  but  Mrs. 
Howard  is  yet  living. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  J.  Roller  were 
born  two  children — Julian  A. .  and  George  E. , 
who  died  in  infancy.  In  National  and  State 
politics  Mr.  Roller  was  a  Democrat,  but  in 
local  affairs  he  invariably  cast  his  ballot  for 
the  candidate  he  considered  best  suited  for 
the  position,  regardless  of  party  ties.  He 
served  as  deputy  sheriff  two  years,  and  con- 
stable four  years,  filling  both  offices  with 
eminent  satisfaction..  The  entire  family  (as 
was  also  Mr.  Roller  himself)  are  consistent 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  enjoy 
the  highest  esteem  and  regard  of  the  com- 
munity at  large. 


ALBION  F.  LOMBARD.  If  the  new 
and  vigorous  little  settlement  at  Ar- 
nott,  Stockton  township.  Portage 
county,  ever  grows  to  goodly  pro- 
portions, its  start  on  the  road  to  prosperity 
will  have  been  given  it  by  A.  F.  Lombard. 
If  the  village  does  not  so  thrive,  it  will  be 
because  Mr.  Lombard's  efforts  in  its  behalf 
are  not  seconded.  In  other  words  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
zealous  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives,  and  thor- 
oughly alive  to  the  possibilities  that  might 
follow  wise  co-operation. 

Mr.  Lombard  is  the  son  of  an  early 
pioneer.  The  family  of  Lombards  in  this 
country  have  descended  from  three  brothers 
who  many  generations  ago  came  to  the 
United  States  from  the  Island  of  Corsica, 
and  settled  at  Scituate,  a  small  fishing  town 
on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  Albion  F. 
was  born  at  Readfield,  Kennebec  Co., 
Maine,  October  7,  1842.  His  father,  James 
Lombard,  was  born  at  Gorham,  Maine,  De- 


LA,  (^T^^^S^^^^z^-t^^^/i-*^ 


COMMBMOBATIVB   BIOGRAPHICAL   BBCORD. 


55 


cember  2,  1796,  and  the  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather  were  Hkewise  both  named 
James.  The  father  (James)  was  reared  at 
Gorham,  and  there  apprenticed  to  a  saddler 
and  harness-maker  by  his  stepfather.  James 
Lombard  opened  a  shop  at  Readfield, 
Maine,  where,  September  7,  18 17,  he  mar- 
ried Isabella  Currier,  born  August  31,  1799, 
at  Readfield,  daughter  of  Samuel  Currier, 
the  leading  phj-sician  of  that  village,  whose 
practice  years  afterward  fell  to  his  son 
George.  James  Lombard's  health  was  fail- 
ing at  his  trade,  and  he  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  preparing  himself  by  a  course  at 
Bowdoin  College.  Practicing  successfully 
at  Readfield,  Gorham,  and  Saccarappa,  a 
suburb  of  Portland,  Maine,  Dr.  Lombard  in 
May,  1851,  started  with  his  family  for  Wis- 
consin. Coming  by  rail  from  Saccarappa 
to  Buffalo,  and  by  the  lakes  on  the  old 
"Wisconsin"  from  Buffalo  to  Sheboygan, 
they  drove  by  team  to  Plover,  where  a  son, 
Lewis,  had  preceded  them.  Dr.  Lombard 
was  a  poor  man,  and  sought  a  home  away 
from  the  city  where  he  might  rear  his  large 
family.  His  children  were  James,  Charles, 
Isabel,  George,  Lewis,  Leonidas,  Halbert, 
Orlando,  Washington,  Horace,  Emily, 
Albion  F.  and  Emma.  Of  these,  George 
fa  farmer  of  Stockton),  Lewis  (a  farmer  of 
Lanark  township),  Albion  F.  and  Enmia 
(now  Mrs.  Sydney  Stevens,  of  Livingston, 
Mont.),  are  the  only  survivors.  His  first 
settlement  was  in  Section  32,  Stockton 
township,  where  Lewis  had  pre-empted  160 
acres  before  the  land  was  on  sale,  not  re- 
ceiving his  patent  until  1858.  Dr.  Lombard 
died  on  that  farm  in  1858,  from  the  effects 
of  a  long-standing  complaint.  He  was 
buried  in  a  private  cemetery  on  the  farm, 
which  in  1891  became  public,  and  is  known 
as  "Lombard  Cemetery."  Dr.  Lombard 
was  an  intelligent,  well-read  man,  far  above 
the  average  of  the  early  settlers.  In  politics 
he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  By  the  terms  of 
the  will  the  property  was  left  to  Albion  F. 
and  James,  they  to  provide  for  the  widowed 
mother,  who  survived  until  April  21,  1881, 
and  was  buried  by  the  side  of  her  husband. 
Albion  F.  Lombard  attended  the  Maine 
schools  diligently  till  the  journey  west. 
For  several  years   there  were  no  schools  in 


Stockton,  but  in  the  winters  of  i860,  1861 
and  1862  he  attended  terms  on  "The 
Prairie,"  under  that  old-time  instructor, 
James  Walker.  After  his  father's  death 
he  took  charge  of  his  half  of  the  farm.  In 
1863  many  boy  friends  and  acquaintances 
were  enlisting  in  the  army,  and  Albion  F. 
was  seized  with  a  desire  to  become  a  sol- 
dier. He  had  about  concluded  to  join  the 
Seventh  Wis.  V.  I.,  then  stationed  at 
Arlington  Heights,  in  which  an  intimate 
friend,  Michael  Shortell,  later  killed  on  the 
Rappahannock  river,  had  enlisted,  when  his 
brother  Horace  returned  from  service  and 
pleaded  with  him  not  to  volunteer.  It  took 
the  united  efforts  of  the  family  a  long  time 
to  keep  the  boy  out  of  service.  He  must  go 
somewhere,  however,  for  the  spirit  of  ad- 
venture was  in  his  veins.  In  the  lumber 
country,  along  the  Big  Eau  Plaine  river,  he 
became  cook  for  the  crew  of  a  big  raft  of 
lumber  and  shingles  bound  for  the  South. 
Starting  March  25,  1863,  the  first  division 
of  the  raft  collided  at  Clint's  dam,  and  one 
of  the  crew  perished,  others  narrowly 
escaping.  The  second  division,  containing 
Mr.  Lombard,  passed  in  safety.  At  Rock 
Island,  111.,  the  raft  struck  one  of  the  bridge 
piers  in  the  Mississippi  river,  and  was  con- 
siderably damaged;  but  by  the  aid  of  tug 
boats  repairs  were  made,  and  the  one  million 
feet  of  choice  lumber  loaded  with  shingles, 
which  the  raft  contained,  reached  Quincy, 
and  the  lumber  was  sold  for  $18  per  thou- 
sand feet. 

Receiving  his  pay,  the  young  man  started 
for  Pike's  Peak.  Crossing  the  bridgeless 
Mississippi  in  a  skifT,  he  reached  St.  Joe  by 
rail,  and  staged  it  to  Omaha.  Impatiently 
waiting  for  a  train  to  cross  the  Plains,  he 
hired  out  to  drive  a  team  of  four  mules, 
hauling  corn  to  Fort  Laramie,  Wyo.,  at 
forty  dollars  per  month.  He  had  to  shell  the 
corn  himself,  and  started  several  days  later. 
The  wagon  boss  was  brutal  and  insulting, 
and  after  several  clashes  Mr.  Lombard  left 
him,  at  Julesburg,  Keb.,  obtaining  his  pay 
only  after  threats  to  sue.  He  had  met  trains 
bound  for  Denver  at  Ft.  Kearney,  and,  join- 
ing one  of  them,  paid  his  passage  by  work. 
Proceeding  by  stage  to  Mountain  City,  near 
Central  City,  Colo.,   where  he  expected  to 


56 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


find  his  brother,  Washington,  he  learned 
the  latter  had  left  for  Idaho.  Albion  secured 
work  as  a  laborer  at  a  stamp  mill,  at  $2.50 
per  day;  then  worked  in  a  mine  at  $3  per 
day,  and  later  at  the  Gregory  Lode  at  $3.50 
per  day.  His  brother  Horace  joined  him 
in  the  spring  of  1865,  and  they  worked  as 
carpenters  for  a  time,  when  Albion  became 
foreman  in  a  mine  at  California  Gulch, 
Colo.,  at  $3  per  day  in  gold.  Returning 
to  Black  Hawk,  he,  with  the  brother 
took  a  wagon  train  for  Omaha.  Here  for  a 
short  time  he  worked  for  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  Co. ,  and,  work  becoming  scarce, 
hired  out  in  the  spring  of  1866  as  a  laborer 
in  the  construction  of  the  Union  Pacific 
road  at  Columbus,  Neb.,  100  miles  west  of 
Omaha.  One  month  of  this  work  was 
enough,  and  returning  to  Omaha  he  drove 
wagon  to  Denver,  and  mined  during  the 
summer.  Back  to  Omaha  he  went  again  in 
the  fall  to  find  his  brother  Horace  doing 
contracting  work,  and  hired  out  to  him  as  a 
carpenter,  being  a  great  help  to  him  in 
time  of  misfortune.  During  the  winter  of 
1866-67  he  hauled  wheat  to  a  mill  twenty 
miles  up  the  river  from  Omaha  for  Edward 
Creighton,  afterward  a  multi-millionaire. 

Hiring  out  on  bridge  construction  for  the 
Union  Pacific  road  in  the  spring  of  1867, 
Mr.  Lombard  learned  on  reaching  his  desti- 
nation that  "no  hands  were  needed."  A 
company  of  soldiers  passing  <■//  route  to 
Cheyenne,  where  barracks  were  to  be  erect- 
ed, he  hired  out  to  Col.  Carlin  for  $100  per 
month.  Six  weeks  later,  because  a  comrade 
was  discharged,  he  quit,  too,  and  did  job  work 
at  Cheyenne  for$io  per  day.  By  fall  he  had 
saved  several  hundred  dollars,  and  he  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin,  where  he  spent  the 
winter.  Returning  to  Omaha  in  the  spring, 
he  was  actively  engaged  in  bridge  and  trestle 
building  for  the  Union  Pacific  road  as  far 
west  as  Corinne,  Utah.  He  witnessed  the 
celebrated  ceremonies  attending  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road,  June  9,  1869,  and  soon 
after,  learning  of  the  death  of  his  brother 
James,  he  returned  to  Stockton  township, 
Portage  Co.,  Wis.,  and  took  charge  of  the 
farm.  He  also  engaged  in  the  sale  of  agri- 
cultural implements  and  farm  machinery. 
In    1890  he  sold  the    "home   farm,"   and 


erected  several  buildings  at  Arnott  Station, 
doing  much  to  establish  and  improve  busi- 
ness at  that  point.  There  he  erected  the 
first  potato  warehouse,  a  building  40  x  60 
feet,  leasing  it  to  Mr.  Carley,  who  afterward 
bought  it.  He  also  sold  other  buildings, 
and  thus  diversified  the  interests  at  the  lit- 
tle station.  His  business  in  implements  and 
farm  machiner}^  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  1893 
he  built  a  large  warehouse,  and  he  has  since 
added  a  select  line  of  hardware.  His  pres- 
ent stock  would  be  a  credit  to  a  larger  town. 
On  April  22,  1895,  he  met  with  a  heavy 
loss  by  fire,  amounting  to  some  $3,500,  on 
which  he  had  an  insurance  of  only  $1,100; 
but  in  no  ways  discouraged,  he  has  rebuilt, 
and  has  now  an  even  finer  place  of  business 
than  was  his  old  one. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lombard  is  independent, 
and  votes  for  the  best  man.  He  is  well- 
informed  on  matters  of  general  interest,  and 
is  widely  known.  He  possesses  the  full  con- 
fidence and  friendship  of  his  wide  circle  of 
acquaintances,  and  a  more  popular  and 
genial  man  it  would  be  difficult  to  find. 
Sufficiently  provided  with  worldlj'  goods  to 
make  labor  unnecessary,  he  enjoys  life  by 
building  up  the  interests  of  the  locality  in 
which  he  lives. 


REV.  JOHN  EISEN,  pastor  of  St. 
John's  Church  of  Marshfield,  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Weisendorf, 
Bavaria,  Germany,  April  22,  1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Eisen,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  locality  in  181 2.  He  married 
Margaret  Bessler,  who  was  born  in  Bavaria 
in  1818,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Barbara,  Michael  and  John, 
but  the  last  named  is  the  only  one  of  the 
family  that  ever  came  to  America.  The  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Stoehr,  died  in  1881.  The  father 
was  called  to  the  home  beyond  in  1865,  and 
the  mother,  who  survived  him  some  years, 
passed  away  in  1 888. 

Father  Eisen  acquired  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land,  which  he  attended  until  thirteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  entered  college  in  the  city 
of  Bamberg,  there  pursuing  his  studies  until 
1878.      In  that  year  he  entered  the  Univer- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


57 


sity  of  Louvain  in  Belgium,  and  in  1882  was 
ordained  a  priest  at  Luxemburg.  His  entire 
life  has  been  devoted  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  and  in  his  clerical  calling  he  came 
to  America  in  March,  1883,  being  first  sta- 
tioned at  Chippewa  Falls,  where  he  served 
as  assistant  priest  for  four  months.  He  was 
then  appointed  pastor  of  the  church  in  Ells- 
worth, Wis. ,  over  which  he  remained  in 
charge  for  eight  years  and  ten  months.  His 
residence  in  Marshfield  dates  from  May, 
1892,  at  which  time  he  was  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  St.  John's  Church. 

His  labors  here  have  been  untiring,  and 
it  was  largely  through  his  instrumentality 
that  the  fine  brick  edifice  which  is  now  used 
as  their  house  of  worship  was  erected.  A 
school  is  also  conducted  in  connection  with 
the  church,  in  which  six  teachers  are  em- 
ployed and  462  pupils  are  enrolled.  Father 
Eisen  has  given  himself  to  his  work  with  an 
unselfish  devotion  that  has  brought  good  re- 
sults to  the  churches  with  which  he  has  been 
connected.  He  is  an  indefatigable  worker, 
earnest!}'  striving  to  benefit  his  people,  and 
he  has  their  confidence  and  respect  in  an 
eminent  degree. 


CHARLES  A.  GARDNER,  a  promi- 
nent merchant    of  Mosinee,    Mara- 
thon county,  and  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  C.  Gardner  &  Co.,  was 
born  in  Mosinee  in  November,   1857,  a  son 
of  Henry  B.  and  Ellen  R.  (Priest)  Gardner, 
who  were  born  in  New  York  State. 

Henry  B.  Gardner  came  west  about  the 
year  1853,  and  at  first  locating  in  Minne- 
sota; but  after  a  short  residence  there  re- 
moved to  Marathon  county.  Wis.,  and  set- 
tled near  Mosinee,  being  among  the  pioneers 
of  that  district.  After  coming  to  Marathon 
county  he  worked  in  the  pineries  and  at  lum- 
bering and  logging,  was  for  some  years  en- 
gaged in  shingle  manufacturing,  and  for 
several  years  conducted  a  hotel  called  the 
"  Prairie  House,"  about  four  miles  north  of 
Mosinee,  on  the  Wausau  and  Stevens  Point 
road.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  B.  Gardner 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Charles  A.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and   George   F.    and 


Henry  A.,  lumber  manufacturers,  their  mill 
being  situated  about  six  miles  from  Mosinee. 
In  1863  Henry  B.  Gardner  enlisted  in  the 
Thirty-eighth  Wis.  V.  L,  and  was  killed  in 
battle. 

Charles  A.  Gardner  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Mosinee,  Marathon  Co., 
Wis.,  then  engaged  in  lumbering  and  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  July,  1887.  In  May, 
1887,  in  Oshkosh,  Winnebago  Co.,  Wis., 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Effie  P. 
Locke,  and  one  son,  Raymond  Locke,  has 
been  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Gardner  is  a 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Pauline  Locke,  the 
former  of  whom  resides  in  Oshkosh;  the  lat- 
ter died  in  1893.  In  July,  1887,  Mr.  Gard- 
ner, in  connection  with  his  brothers  George 
F.  and  Henry  A.,  embarked  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  In  1890  George  F.  and  Henr}' A. 
retired  from  the  business,  and  our  subject 
formed  a  co-partnership  with  Louis  Dessert 
and  Frank  McReynolds,  under  the  present 
firm  name  of  C.  Gardner  &  Co. 

Politically,  Mr.  Gardner  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  he  served  as  president  of  the 
village  of  Mosinee  one  term;  socially,  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  is  a  live,  progressive  business 
man,  enjoys  the  esteem  not  only  of  the  resi- 
dents of  Mosinee,  but  of  all  who  are  ac- 
quainted with  him,  and  his  high  character 
and  genial  qualities  have  made  him  generally 
popular. 


HENRY  W.  REMINGTON,  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  and  a  most  popu- 
lar resident  of  Babcock,  Wood  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Lorain 
Co.,  Ohio,  August  9,  1823.  He  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Matilda  (Williams)  Remington, 
and  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
town.  His  parents  were  New  Englanders, 
his  father  being  a  descendant  of  the  Turkey 
Hills  Remingtons  of  Connecticut,  while  his 
mother  came  of  the  Williams  family  of 
Rhode  Island.  In  1822  the  father  removed 
from  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  to  Ohio,  leav- 
ing Washington  Mountain,  Mass. ,  in  Jan- 
uary of  that  year,  and  traveling  all  the  way 
on  a  sled  drawn  by  oxen,  the  trip  consuming 
forty  days,  and   during  the  last  six  miles  of 


58 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  journey  they  had  to  cut  their  way 
through  the  dense  forests.  They  were  the 
first  family  to  settle  in  Pittsfield,  Ohio. 
There  the  birth  of  our  subject  occurred  the 
following  year. 

When  Henry  W.  was  a  child  of  four 
years  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  a  visit 
to  Massachusetts,  and  there  for  the  first  time 
saw  how  people  lived  in  civilization.  In  1837 
the  father  again  thought  it  best  to  go  West 
and  removed  to  Steuben  county,  Ind.,  locat- 
ing in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness.  There  he 
went  through  all  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions that  are  known  to  frontier  life,  and  for 
three  years  struggled  to  maintain  his  health 
against  the  fevers  and  agues  that  prevailed 
in  that  new  country.  At  one  time  he  nearly 
died  when  twenty  miles  from  his  home, 
where  were  his  wife  and  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  all  sick  and  unaware  of  his  con- 
dition. This  determined  him  to  retrace  his 
steps  and  leave  the  far  western  frontier  for 
a  time,  so  in  January,  1840,  he  returned  to 
Lorain  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  in  the  town 
of  Amherst,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
January,  1891,  he  having  reached  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-five  years.  His  wife 
passed  away  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years. 

Henry  W.  Remington  had  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  various  removals  in  his 
youth.  The  Presidential  election  of  1840 
aroused  him  to  action,  and  he  attended  all 
of  the  political  meetings  possible,  and  often 
made  speeches  to  the  audiences  assembled. 
Although  he  knew  but  little  about  schools  at 
that  time,  he  was  very  familiar  with  the  his- 
tory of  his  country  and  its  great  men.  His 
leisure  hours  in  the  woods  and  in  his  cabin 
home  were  often  spent  in  study,  and  his 
mother  proved  to  him  a  good  teacher.  The 
year  following  he  obtained  permission  to 
leave  home  and  began  teaching  school, 
which  he  followed  at  intervals  until  twenty 
years  of  age,  also  attending  school  within 
that  period.  He  also  worked  as  an  assist- 
ant in  the  county  treasurer's  office,  and  while 
thus  employed  he  studied  surveying. 

About  this  time  his  father  became  finan- 
cially embarrassed,  and  was  so  discouraged 
that  he  expressed  himself  as  ready  to  give  up 
the  contest   for  his  home,  but   Henry  W. , 


then  just  of  age,  looked  more  upon  the 
bright  side  of  life  and  determined  to  aid  his 
father  in  the  difficulty.  He  had  but  little 
time  to  act,  but  at  once  bought  goods  which 
he  began  to  sell  as  a  peddler,  traveling  as 
far  east  as  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  as  far  west 
as  Nauvoo,  111.,  during  the  succeeding  four 
months.  At  the  latter  place  Joe  Smith,  the 
prophet,  and  his  brother  had  just  been  killed, 
and  the  Mormon  war  was  in  progress.  At 
Carthage,  111.,  he  was  captured  by  the  anti- 
Mormons,  and  held  prisoner  for  a  week  as  a 
Mormon  sympathizer.  Soon  after  he  was 
captured  by  the  Mormons  and  imprisoned  by 
them  for  three  weeks.  He  was  a  witness  of 
the  killing  of  the  sheriff  of  Hancock  county, 
saw  most  of  the  incidents  of  the  war,  and 
was  in  that  locality  when  the  settlement  was 
made  in  which  the  Mormons  agreed  to  leave 
the  State.  He  improved  his  time  while  a 
prisoner  in  buying  up  the  heaviest  claims 
against  his  father,  these  being  held  by  Mor- 
mons then  in  Nauvoo,  and  when  he  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  away  he  was  master  of  the 
situation  as  far  as  his  father's  debts  were 
concerned.  He  then  went  down  the  Missis- 
sippi and  up  the  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati, 
thence  across  the  State  to  his  home,  having 
in  about  six  months  time  paid  off  all  his 
father's  debts,  besides  seeing  considerable  of 
the  world  and  saving  to  the  family  their 
home. 

On  his  return,  Mr.  Remington  again  en- 
tered the  treasurer's  office,  but  after  a  few 
months  purchased  i  50  acres  of  timber  land 
on  credit,  and  began  farming.  The  same 
year  he  was  married  he  cleared  and  fenced 
fifty  acres  of  his  land,  and  sowed  it  in 
wheat.  This  property  he  afterward  disposed 
of.  He  had  gone  security  for  friends,  who 
could  not  pay  him,  and  so  he  could  not  meet 
the  payments  upon  his  own  property,  and  in 
consequence  he  sold  out,  paid  his  debts,  and 
gave  to  his  father-in-law  the  remainder  of  his 
capital,  to  pay  for  the  board  of  his  wife  and 
child  as  long  as  it  would  last.  W'ith  indomi- 
table courage  Mr.  Remington  entered  the  law 
office  of  Judge  Humphriville,  of  Medina, 
Ohio,  with  whom  he  studied  for  two  years, 
when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  having 
snpported  himself  in  the  meantime  by  car- 
penter work,  by  teaching  school,  and  by  try- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


59 


ing  cases  in  justice  courts.  He  had  also 
made  a  trip  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  Madison 
and  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  with  a  team  and  ped- 
dler's wagon,  returning  to  his  home  from  the 
last  named  place  by  vvay  of  the  lakes. 

In  October,  1848,  having  completed  his 
law  studies,  Mr.  Remington  packed  up  his 
carpenter's  tools,  surveyor's  outfit,  and  a  few 
books  he  had  obtained,  together  with  his 
household  goods  and,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  little  girl,  took  a  steamer  at  Cleve- 
land for  Milwaukee,  where  he  landed  No- 
vember I,  1848,  so  ill  that  he  had  to  be 
helped  ashore.  He  had  only  a  few  dollars 
in  his  pocket,  and  knew  no  one  in  that  place. 
The  roads  were  then  almost  impassable,  but 
as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  sit  up  he  hired  a 
man  owning  a  team  and  lumber  wagon,  and 
after  twelve  hours  of  travel  they  found  them- 
selves only  fourteen  miles  from  Milwaukee. 
After  six  days  they  reached  Madison,  and 
there  the  little  daughter,  after  a  three-weeks' 
illness,  passed  away  on  her  second  birthday. 
In  Madison,  Mr.  Remington's  skill  as  a  sur- 
veyor became  known,  and  he  was  soon  profit- 
ably employed,  being  appointed  by  Gov. 
Dewey  to  appraise  school  lands,  which  oc- 
cupied his  time  for  one  year.  He  also  had 
letters  of  introduction  to  Judge  Hubbell, 
then  judge  of  the  Madison  and  Milwaukee 
circuit  court,  which  he  presented,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  Shortly  after  he  was 
established  in  a  large  and  lucrative  practice, 
and  in  the  following  year  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Judge  L.  B.  Vilas,  father  of  U.  S. 
Senator  William  F.  Vilas,  but  after  a  few 
years,  his  sight  and  health  failing  him,  he  in 
a  great  degree  turned  his  law  business  over 
to  others,  and  engaged  in  the  construction 
of  the  Milwaukee  &  Prairie  du  Chien  rail- 
road through  to  the  Mississippi;aIso  in  improv- 
ing the  streets  of  Madison,  in  constructing 
the  Watertown  &  Madison  railroad,  and  in 
building  up  the  village  of  Black  Earth.  In 
1857,  misfortune  again  overtook  him.  Dur- 
ing a  long  and  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fe- 
ver his  wife  became  insane.  In  the  month 
of  January  she  left  him,  and  the  care  of 
their  three  young  children  devolved  on  him 
alone.  Three  days  later  a  large  amount  of 
his  property  at  Black  Earth  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  shortly  after  a  bank  failed  by  which 


he  lost  $16,000,  and  by  the  collapse  of  the 
Watertown  &  Madison  railroad  he  lost  as 
much  more,  so  that  within  a  year  the  accu- 
mulations of  many  years  of  hardships  and 
privations  were  all  swept  away. 

During  all  this  time  Mr.  Remington  was 
prominent  in  political  matters,  and  succeed- 
ed in  introducing  into  the  Legislature  resolu- 
tion for  the  closing  of  saloons  on  election 
days,  for  he  believed  that  drunkenness 
caused  much  of  the  ill-feeling  and  trouble 
that  occurred  on  those  days.  This  resolu- 
tion resulted  in  the  passage  of  the  present  law 
in  regard  to  the  closing  of  all  liquor  saloons 
at  the  time  of  elections,  and  this  work  has 
brought  to  him  more  satisfaction  than  he 
would  have  obtained  had  the  highest  polit- 
ical favors  been  bestowed  upon  him.  He 
was  nominated  for  district  attorney  in  1856, 
and  after  a  hotly  contested  election  was 
beaten  by  the  saloon  influence  by  sixteen 
votes,  his  opponent  being  Hon.  M.  H.  Or- 
ton.  He  warmly  advocates  Democratic 
principles,  but  has  really  never  cared  for  polit- 
ical preferment. 

In  i860,  Mr.  Remington  came  to  Wood 
county,  and  engaged  in  the  lumbering  busi- 
ness and  the  cultivation  of  cranberries,  and 
was  also  instrumental  in  the  building  of  the 
Valley  railroad  from  Tomah  to  Wausau, 
Wis.,  and  was  vice-president  of  the  com- 
pany. He  has  repeadily  served  as  chairman 
of  the  town  and  county  boards  of  supervis- 
ors, and  has  served  one  term  in  the  State 
Legislature,  and  has  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  all  public  enterprises  calculated 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  He  has  now 
partially  retired  from  active  business  (spends 
some  of  his  time  writing  for  the  Press  on 
various  subjects),  and  is  living  in  the  town  of 
Remington,  which  was  named  in  his  honor. 

Mr.  Remington  was  twice  married,  first 
wedding  Betsy  Wiling,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children:  Dora,  wife  of  Eber  Steile, 
of  Amherst,  Ohio;  William  H. ;  and  Amanda 
Ellen,  wife  of  Adelbert  Cleveland,  of  Rem- 
ington. In  1858,  in  Madison,  Wis.,  he 
wedded  Susan  McGlyn,  widow  of  Andrew 
Clavin,  and  they  have  a  son,  Henry,  a  con- 
ductor on  the  St.  Paul  &  Duluth  railroad, 
residing  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.  Mr.  Reming- 
ton is  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  Wood 


6o 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


county,  highly-esteemed  for  his  keen  intelli- 
gence and  unswen-ing  integrity,  is  recognized 
as  a  gentleman  of  unmistakable  ability,  and 
is  respected  throughout  the  county. 


HERMAN  C.  EICHE,  mayor  of  Marsh- 
field,  is  one  of  the  highly-esteemed 
and  prominent  citizensofWoodcoun- 
ty,  and  his  unselfish  devotion  to  pub- 
lic interests  has  won  him  the  commendation 
of  all  concerned.  He  is  numbered  among 
Wisconsin's  native  sons,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Meeme,  Manitowoc  county, 
February  8,  1856.  He  is  descended  from 
sterling  German  ancestry. 

His  grandfather  John  Eiche,  who  was 
an  officer  under  the  Prussian  government, 
was  the  father  of  two  children — John  B.  and 
Nannie — the  former  of  whom  is  the  founder 
of  the  family  in  America.  He  was  born  in 
Prussia  in  181  5,  and  in  his  younger  years 
learned  the  cabinet  maker's  trade  which  he 
followed  in  the  Fatherland  until  his  emigra- 
tion. At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America,  and  coming  to 
■Wisconsin  took  up  his  residence  in  Mani- 
towoc county.  Wis.  In  1845  he  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  with  Catherine  Walters,  also 
a  native  of  Prussia,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  her  three  brothers:  Fred,  Herman 
and  Joseph.  They  all  settled  in  Meeme 
township,  Manitowoc  county,  where  they  en- 
gaged in  farming, though  Herman  subsequent- 
ly carried  on  a  furniture  store  in  Sheboygan, 
Wis.,  until  his  death.  The  parents  of  this 
family  died  in  Prussia  when  Mrs.  Eiche  was 
only  thirteen  years  of  age.  On  coming  to 
Wisconsin,  John  B.  Eiche  secured  a  farm, 
and  he  is  yet  living  on  the  old  homestead, 
having  devoted  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion to  its  improvement.  Eight  children 
were  born  of  his  marraige  to  Miss  Walters, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others 
being  George  D.,  Leopold  C.,  Herman, 
Mary,  Anna,  Nannie  and  Louisa.  The 
mother  passed  away  in  1 889. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Her- 
man C.  Eiche,  we  present  to  our  readers 
the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  in  Wood  county — a  self- 
made  man,  whose  industrious  efforts  have 


brought  him  well-merited  success.  His 
earl^'  years  were  quietly  passed  upon  the 
home  farm,  while  his  education  was  acquired 
in  the  district  school,  to  which  he  had  to 
walk  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half  miles.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  home  to  fit  himself 
for  earning  his  living  in  some  other  way 
than  farm  labor,  and  began  to  learn  the 
shoemaker's  trade  in  Centerville,  where  he 
remained  three  years.  He  then  learned  the 
business  of  manufacturing  cheese,  and  car- 
ried on  a  cheese  factory  for  his  father  two 
years,  when  his  father  gave  him  the  plant, 
and  he  operated  it  in  his  own  interest  one 
year.  Selling  out  in  1879,  he  then  removed 
to  Sheboygan  Falls,  where  he  remained  for 
a  year,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he 
purchased  a  saloon  in  Brillion,  Wis.,  suc- 
cessfully conducting  it  for  five  years.  In 
1887  he  sold  out  that  business,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  Marshfield's  inter- 
ests, building  here,  in  the  spring  of  1888,  a 
store-room,  in  which  he  began  a  retail 
business  in  wines  and  liquors,  changing  it, 
however,  to  a  wholesale  trade  in  189 1.  He 
manages  his  interests  on  strict  business  prin- 
ciples, and  is  always  straightforward  and 
honorable  in  his  dealings. 

Mr.  Eiche  takes  great  delight  in  his 
home.  In  1879  he  married  Lena  Fester- 
ling,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mosel, 
Sheboygan  county,  Wis. ,  a  daughter  of  An- 
drew C.  and  Louisa  Festerling,  natives  of 
Prussia,  who  came  to  America  in  1847,  set- 
tling on  a  farm  in  Sheboygan  county.  Their 
family  numbered  eight  children  as  follows: 
Fred,  Herman,  Charles,  Gustol,  Menna, 
Augusta,  Louisa  and  Lena.  The  mother 
died  in  1890,  but  the  father  is  still  living. 
Four  children  have  been  given  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eiche:  Laura,  Adelia,  Reuben  and 
Melvin.  The  principles  of  Democracy  are 
advocated  by  Mr.  Eiche,  and  he  takes  quite 
an  active  interest  in  political  affairs.  While 
residing  in  Brillion,  Wis.,  he  served  for 
three  years  as  school  treasurer;  for  two 
terms  has  been  alderman  of  Marshfield,  and 
in  1 894  was  elected  its  mayor,  which  posi- 
tion he  is  now  creditably  and  acceptably 
filling.  It  is  his  earnest  desire  to  advance 
the  city's  welfare,  and  promote  all  interests 
which  will  add  to  its  improvement  and  up- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPBIOAL   RECORD. 


6l 


building.  Socially,  he  is  connected  with 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Sons  of  Hermann, 
in  which  he  has  filled  ail  the  offices.  With 
no  special  advantages  in  his  youth,  he  started 
out  to  fight  life's  battles  unaided,  and  has 
won  the  victory  over  poverty  and  other  diffi- 
culties, securing  for  himself  a  comfortable 
competence. 


SOLOMON  TRUDEAU  was  born  in 
Canada  East  (now  the  Province  of 
Quebec)  May  13,  183 1,  son  of 
Stephen  and  Constance  Trudeau, 
who  were  born  in  Canada  of  French  ances- 
try, and  are  now  both  deceased.  They  had 
born  to  them  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are 
still  living,  namely:  Marie,  wife  of  Oliver 
Vigeault,  residing  in  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
Canada;  Eloise,  a  sister  in  the  Providence 
Convent  at  Montreal,  Canada;  Solomon, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Malena,  wife  of 
Conzaque  Berard;  Domitile  and  Orostile, 
residing  in  the  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada. 
Solomon  Trudeau  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Canada,  and  when  twenty-four 
years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  Wausau,  Marathon  Co.,  Wis., 
where  he  has  been  a  continuous  resident 
some  forty  years.  He  worked  in  the  piner- 
ies, also  at  rafting  lumber  on  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  as  foreman  in  sawmills  for  about 
twenty-eight  years,  since  which  he  has  not 
been  engaged  in  any  active  business.  In 
1879  Solomon  Trudeau  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Malena,  widow  of  Moses  Turner, 
and  daughter  of  the  late  John  La  Messurier. 
They  have  had  no  children  by  this  marriage. 
Mr.  Trudeau  is  one  of  the  few  men  who 
came  to  Wausau  at  an  early  period  of  its 
history,  and  have  lived  to  see  it  grow  from 
an  obscure  logging  camp  and  Indian  village 
to  a  city  of  prosperity  and  note.  He  is  a 
man  of  high  character,  much  esteemed  in 
the  community  in  which  he  lives. 

Malena,  second  living  daughter  of  John 
La  Messurier,  and  wife  of  Solomon  Tru- 
deau, was  born  in  the  Isle  of  Guernsey 
January  7,  1837,  accompanied  her  parents 
to  America,  when  but  four  years  of  age,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Wausau  for  upward  of 
fifty  years,    and    has    been    married    three 


times.  Her  first  husband  was  Isaac  Coul- 
thirst,  to  whom  she  was  wedded  at  Pine 
River,  Lincoln  Co. ,  Wis. ,  and  by  him  she 
had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Ellen  Maria,  wife  of  C.  W.  Nut- 
ter, of  Wausau;  and  Mary  Ann,  wife  of 
Richard  Cosgrove,  residing  at  Chippewa 
Falls,  Wis.  Mrs.  Trudeau's  second  hus- 
band was  Moses  Turner,  by  whom  she  had 
four  children,  two  of  whom  at  present  re- 
side in  Wausau:  Alice,  wife  of  Frederick 
Burt,  and  Aarah  M.,  wife  of  Albert  Empey. 
In  1879  occurred  her  marriage  to  Solomon 
Trudeau,  as  already  stated.  John  La  Mes- 
surier, father  of  Mrs.  Solomon  Trudeau, 
and  one  of  the  very  earliest  settlers 
in  Marathon  county,  was  born  in  the 
Island  of  Guernsey,  in  the  English  Channel, 
February  2,  1799,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in 
Guernsey  with  Elizabeth  H.  Allej',  who  was 
born  at  Newton-Bushel,  England,  June  7, 
1779,  and  to  their  union  were  born  three 
children,  who  came  with  them  to  America, 
and  two  of  whom  are  yet  living,  viz. : 
Malena,  wife  of  Solomon  Trudeau,  and 
Priscilla,  wife  of  Eli  R.  Chase,  a  promi- 
nent lawyer,  formerly  a  resident  of  Wausau, 
but  now  of  Contra  Costa,  Cal.  Coming  to 
this  country  in  1839,  Mr.  La  Messurier  lo- 
cated at  Sauk  Prairie,  Wis.,  where  he 
erected  the  first  house,  the  first  store,  and 
the  first  blacksmith  shop  ever  built  in  the 
upper  town;  he  also  owned  and  operated  the 
first  ferry  at  that  point  on  the  Wisconsin 
river.  He  removed  to  Wausau,  Marathon 
county,  in  1846,  and  was  a  constant  and 
highly-esteemed  resident  of  that  city,  taking 
an  active  part  in  matters  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  the  county  and  of  his  fellowmen. 
He  continued  to  make  Wausau  his  home 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  April  20, 
1885.  His  faithful  wife  was  the  third  white 
woman  to  locate  in  Marathon  county. 

Priscilla,  youngest  living  daughter  of 
John  La  Messurier,  was  born  in  the  Island 
of  Guernsey  May  11,  1839,  came  to  Wau- 
sau, Wis.,  with  her  parents  when  nine 
years  of  age,  and  lived  in  Wausau,  Mara- 
thon county,  until  1873,  since  which  date 
she  has  been  a  resident  of  Contra  Costa, 
Cal.     In  June,   1858,  she  was  united  in  mar- 


62 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPHICAL   RECORD. 


riage  with  Eli  R.  Chase,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  State,  and  was  a  prominent  law- 
yer and  resident  of  Wausau  up  to  1873. 
They  had  four  children:  Margaret  Adelia, 
born  at  ^^'ausau  where  she  died  in  infancy; 
John  L. ,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-one 
years,  and  Anna,  deceased  when  fifteen 
(they  were  both  born  in  Wausau,  and  both 
died  in  California),  and  Gertrude,  born  in 
California,  and  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years. 


HON.  JAMES  J.  NELSON.  The 
Kingdom  of  Norway,  that  cradle 
of  the  redoubtable  and  hardy  Norse- 
men of  old,  the  Vikings  of  history 
and  poetry,  who  were  wont  to  make  the 
nations  of  the  earth  tremble  with  awe  at 
their  deeds  of  valor,  daring  and  prowess, 
has  given  to  America  many  of  her  most 
useful,  enterprising,  loyal  and  brave  citi- 
zens. In  them  still  lingers  a  strong  leaven 
of  the  old  Norse  ardor,  resolution  and 
indomitable  perseverance,  as  well  as  of  that 
unquenchable  spirit  of  adventure  that  im- 
pelled Norwegian  navigators,  with  their 
white-winged  ships,  to  seek  out  every 
quarter  of  the  earth,  some  of  whom  left 
their  footprints  on  the  shores  of  this  vast 
continent  hundreds  of  years  before  either 
Cabot,  or  Cartier,  or  Columbus  opened  his 
eyes  to  the  world.  To  be  descended  from 
such  a  noble  race  is  a  proud  distinction,  in- 
deed, one  that  the  subject  of  these  lines  is 
justly  entitled  to  by  virtue  of  his  blood,  his 
heritage  and  his  instincts. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  in  the  heyday  of  his  man- 
hood, having  been  born  April  8,  1846,  in 
Porsgrund,  Bratsbergs  Amt,  Norwaj-,  a  son 
of  Nels  Andersen  Toldnes  and  Anna  Helvik 
Jacobson  Hogstad  (Toldnes),  both  also  of 
Norwegian  birth,  the  father  born  April  14, 
1802,  in  Slemdahl,  the  mother  born,  in 
1804,  at  the  same  place.  In  his  youth  the 
father  learned  tailoring  in  Porsgrund,  where 
by  industry  he  accumulated  a  snug  property, 
following  his  trade  till  his  emigration  to 
the  United  States.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  children  as  follows,  all  born 
in  Porsgrund,  Norway:  Isaac,  born  Janu- 
ary 27,  1827,  married  Anna  Pernille   Erik- 


son,  by  whom  he  had  three  children — 
Edward,  Carrie  P.  (deceased)  and  Adolph 
— and  after  her  death  he  married  Maren 
Gullickson,  by  whom  he  had  one  child — 
Anna.  Ingeborg  Karine,  born  November 
27,  1829,  married  Jacob  P.  Toldnes,  a 
blacksmith,  and  had  four  children — Inger 
Andrea,  Maren  (deceased),  Mariane  and. 
Nicolai.  Andrew  M.  (who  is  a  banker  in  Am- 
herst), born  April  14,  1843,  married  for  hie 
first  wife  Isaphena  Smith,  by  whom  he  had 
one  child — Henry  I.  (now  deceased) — and 
after  her  decease  wedded  Agnes  Louise 
Boss,  by  whom  he  had  three  children — 
Elizabeth  Maud,  Nellie  Ernestine  and  Agnes 
Louis;  the  mother  of  these  dying,  he  mar- 
ried, for  his  third  wife,  Julia  Nelson,  and 
they  also  had  three  children — Minnie 
Eburna,  Beulah  Genivieve  and  Winifred 
Rosamond.  James  J.  is  the  subject  proper 
of  this  biographical  sketch.  The  mother  of 
this  family  died  in  Norway  in  1846,  and  in 
1857  the  father  sold  his  property  in  Pors- 
grund for  twelve  hundred  dollars,  then  with 
his  family  set  sail  from  the  port  of  Pors- 
grund on  the  20th  of  April,  same  year,  on 
the  good  ship  "  Sjofna,"  Capt.  P.  M.  Peter- 
sen, bound  for  Quebec,  Canada,  reaching 
her  destination  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks 
and  five  days.  From  that  quaint  "Gibraltar 
of  America "  the  family  at  once  came  to 
Wisconsin  via  Buffalo  and  Milwaukee,  from 
which  latter  city  they  journeyed  by  wagon 
to  Oshkosh,  thence  by  steamer  up  the  Wolf 
river  to  Northport.  The  then  new  settle- 
ment of  Scandinavia  being  their  objective 
point,  they  traveled  from  Northport  thither 
on  foot,  the  journey  occupying  some  seven- 
teen hours,  and  their  first  day  there  they 
passed  with  a  friend,  after  which  for  a  year 
they  lived  at  the  home  of  Isaac  N.  Toldnes 
(brother  of  our  subject),  who  had  preceded 
them  to  America  in  1848.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  the  father  of  the  family  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  partially-improved  land  in 
Scandinavia  township,  Waupaca  county, 
whereon  he  built  a  comfortable,  if  not  lu.\- 
uriant,  log  house,  where  he  passed  the  rest 
of  his  days,  dying  August  27,  1863.  He  was 
a  son  of  Andreas  Oleson  and  Isane  Isaac- 
son, who  lived  and  died  in  Norway,  the 
parents  of  children  as   follows:     Ole  (who 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


63 


located  in  southern  Wisconsin  early  in  the 
"forties"  and  died  there),  Nels,  Anders, 
Karen  and  Anna,  all  deceased.  The  name 
of  our  subject's  maternal  grandfather  was 
Jacob  Jenson,  that  of  the  grandmother  be- 
ing Ingeborg  Oleson. 

James  J.  Nelson,  the  subject  proper  of 
this  review,  accompanied  his  father  and  his 
brother  Andrew  M.  to  the  New  World  in 
1857,  being  then  a  bright  boy  of  some 
eleven  summers.  In  Scandinavia  township, 
Waupaca  Co.,  Wis.,  his  early  educational 
training  was  received  at  the  common  winter 
schools  of  the  "neighborhood,"  for  a  few 
years,  his  attendance  being  somewhat  handi- 
capped, however,  by  the  disadvantages  of 
living  two  or  three  miles  from  the  school 
house,  which  distance  he  had  to  tramp 
daily,  the  way  lying  through  woods  and 
swamps.  During  the  summers  he  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm,  clearing  the  land  of 
timber  and  brush,  and  converting  it  into 
smiling  fields  of  golden  grain  or  honey- 
laden  clover.  After  the  death  of  his  father, 
the  lad,  now  sixteen  years  old,  left  the  old 
homestead  in  Scandinavia,  and  journeying 
to  Waupaca  found  employment  there  with 
Dr.  George  H.  Calkins,  doing  various 
chores  for  his  board  and  farther  schooling. 
At  the  end  of  five  months,  being  an  apt 
and  willing  student,  he  found  himself  com- 
petent to  accept  a  position  in  the  drug  store 
of  James  A.  Chesley,  of  Waupaca,  and 
there  remained  till  the  following  June, 
when  we  next  find  him  in  Oshkosh,  work- 
ing in  the  harvest  field  for  F.  F.  Kees — all 
these  his  younger-day  experiences  illustrat- 
ing with  what  facility  he  could  apply  him- 
self to  any  conditions  of  life,  no  matter 
how  irksome  or  laborious. 

This  now  brings  us  to  our  subject's  en- 
listment at  Waupaca  August  16,  1S64,  in 
Company  A,  Forty-second  Wis.  V.  I.,  Capt. 
Duncan  McGregor,  which  regiment  soon 
thereafter  was  ordered  to  Madison,  Wis., 
where  the  companies  were  drilled  about  two 
weeks,  and  then  sent  to  Cairo,  111.  Here 
the  colonel,  E.  T.  Sprague,  who  took  com- 
mand of  the  regiment,  promoted  Private 
Nelson  to  the  position  of  his  orderly.  After 
serving  eight  months,  he  was  taken  sick  and 
was  sent  to   hospital,   where    he  remained 


two  months  and  thirteen  days,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  returned  to  Waupaca  on  fur- 
lough; but  he  had  barely  arrived  home  when 
he  received  orders  to  proceed  at  once  to 
Madison  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  his 
discharge,  same  being  granted   him   June  2, 

1865.  On  the  occasion  of  this  visit  to  Mad- 
ison, Mr.  Nelson  partook  of  an  exceedingly 
frugal  meal,  consisting  of  a  ten-cent  loaf  of 
bread,  which  he  carried  to  the  suburbs  of 
the  city,  and  there  ate  with  a  relish.  (What 
a  contrast  within  the  space  of  a  few  years!) 
On  regaining  his  health,  which  had  been 
much  impaired,  he  left  Waupaca  for  Scan- 
dinavia, and  for  a  couple  of  months  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  for  his  cousin  Isaac  Oleson 
Solverud;  then  journeying  to  Stevens  Point 
he  secured  work  as  a  porter  in  Mrs.  Kol- 
lock's  hotel;  but  at  the  end  of  two  months 
he  once  more  came  to  Waupaca,  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  H. 
J.  &  A.  Stetson,  with  whom  he  remained 
two  and  one-half  years.      On  November  28, 

1866,  he  and  his  brother,  Andrew  M.,  em- 
barked in  mercantile  business  at  Amherst, 
our  subject  continuing,  however,  with  the 
Stetson  firm  for  a  year  after  the  opening  out 
of  the  Amherst  business.  In  1S67  he  mar- 
ried, an  event  that  will  presently  be  record- 
ed, and  then  moved  from  Waupaca  to  Am- 
herst, at  once  assuming  charge  of  his  inter- 
ests in  the  firm  of  A.  M.  &  J.  J.  Nelson. 
This  relationship  continued  until  October, 
1870,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved, 
and  our  subject  commenced  in  the  same  line 
for  his  own  account,  and  in  his  present  place 
of  business  at  Amherst. 

On  October  14,  1867,  at  Waupaca,  Mr. 
Nelson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Juniata  Patton  Andrews,  Rev.  M.  F.  Soren- 
son  officiating,  and  children  as  follows  have 
come  to  them:  Herbert  Sprague,  born 
May  8,  1869,  now  a  resident  of  Idaho 
Springs,  Colo. ;  George  Bliss,  born  May  2 1 , 
1876,  at  present  attending  Wisconsin  State 
University,  Madison;  and  Laura  Perry,  born 
February  17,  1882.  Mrs.  Nelson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  Church.  She  is  a  most 
amiable,  talented  and  educated  lady,  be- 
loved by  all  who  know  her,  and  she  presides 
over  the  home  with  dignified  grace,  and  with 
the  hospitality  and  kindly  greeting  proverbial 


64 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  the  entire  home.  She  is  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, born  July  23,  1849,  in  Janesville, 
Rock  county,  a  daughter  of  John  V.  and 
Aurelia  (Saxton)  Andrews,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  May  17,  181 8,  the  latter  on 
November  9,  1823.  Grandfather  Andrews 
was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1787,  and  his 
wife  April  8,  1797,  in  Broome  county,  N.  Y., 
and  they  had  children  as  follows:  Solomon, 
Harmon,  John  V.,  Phelinda  (now  Mrs.  Carl 
H.  Marckstadt,  of  Princeton,  Wis.),  and 
Walter.  Grandfather  Saxton  was  born  in 
Bennington  county,  Vt.,  April  8,  1785,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  died  some 
time  in  the  "fifties;"  he  married  Rosetta 
Shellhouse,  who  was  born  at  Ferrisburg, 
Vt.,  October  12,  1792,  and  lived  to  be  102 
years  old. 

John  V.  Andrews  (Mrs.  Nelson's  father) 
came  from  Cortland  county,  N.  Y.,  to  Wis- 
consin in  1837,  and  settled  in  Rochester, 
Racine  county,  where  he  married,  afterward 
removing  to  Janesville,  and  thence,  after 
some  years  (in  1855),  coming  to  Waupaca. 
Here  he  carried  on  the  trade  of  millwright, 
which  was  his  vocation  after  marriage,  prior 
to  which  he  had  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  1 869  he  removed  to  Rea,  Andrew 
Co.,  Mo.,  where  he  is  now  living  on  a  farm. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  government,  working  at  his  trade  in 
Nashville,  Tenn.  The  record  of  the  chil- 
dren born  to  John  V.  and  Aurelia  (Saxton) 
Andrews  is  as  follows:  Edwin  R.  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Twenty-first  Wis.  V.  I.,  serv- 
ing two  and  a  half  years  in  the  Civil  war; 
he  married  Virginia  Harron,  by  whom  he 
had  four  sons,  and  died  in  East  Rockport, 
Ohio,  May  30,  1887.  Myra  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mary  is  also  deceased.  Juniata  P. 
is  the  wife  of  James  J.  Nelson.  Emma  re- 
sides in  Waupaca.  Frank  M.  is  a  resident 
of  St.  Joe,  Mo.  Anna  Alma  lives  in  King 
City,  Mo.  Erminie  resides  in  Rea,  Andrew 
Co.,  Missouri. 

In  his  political  preferences  our  subject  is 
a  strong  Republican,  and,  though  he  has 
never  sought  office,  has  yet  been  honored 
with  positions  of  honor,  both  State  and  local. 
He  is  well-known  among  the  politicians  of 
the  State.  In  1894  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the    State    Convention,    and   he    helped  to 


nominate  W.  H.  Upham  for  governor,  having 
on  a  previous  occasion  been  of  similar  assist- 
ance to  Gov.  Rusk.  On  May  17,  1895,  he 
was' appointed,  by  Gov.  Upham,  commis- 
sioner of  immigration  for  the  State  of  Wis- 
consin. Socially,  he  has  been  affiliated  with 
the  F.  &  A.  M. ;  since  joining  the  Fraternity 
at  Waupaca,  in  1877,  has  attained  the  32nd 
degree,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine ; 
is  also  associated  with  Capt.  Eckels  Post, 
G.  A.  R. ,  at  Amherst.  He  was  baptized  and 
confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  faith.  In  1876 
he  attended  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at 
Philadelphia.  In -the  early  spring  of  1882,  in 
company  with  Rev.  Perry  Miller,  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  the  "  Devonia."  and  journey- 
ed through  Scotland,  visiting  Edinburgh, 
Glasgow  and  the  Highlands,  also  traveling 
through  England,  France,  Germany,  Sweden, 
Denmark  and  Norway,  in  the  latter  country 
visiting  his  old  home,  and  the  most  northerly 
town  in  Europe — Hammerfest,  in  the  "  land 
of  the  midnight  sun."  The  trip  occupied 
five  months,  and  the  wanderers  returned 
home  by  way  of  Glasgow,  recrossing  the 
Atlantic  to  New  York  in  the  "Furnesia." 
During  the  summer  of  1 892,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  children,  Mr.  Nelson  visited  the 
chief  places  of  interest  in  the  West,  including 
Denver,  Salt  Lake  City,  Yellowstone  Park, 
etc.,  being  absent  over  two  months  on  this 
delightful  trip. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  noted  for  his  genial  man- 
ners, social  nature,  cordiality  and  courtesy, 
attributes  well  becoming  his  fine  physique, 
quick  intuition  and  generous  sympathies. 
These,  all  combined,  have  militated  in 
making  him  deservedly  most  popular  among 
all  classes,  and  in  winning  for  him  the 
success  in  business,  which  has  been  built 
and  reared  on  his  well-established  reputa- 
tion for  integrity.  Success  seldom  fails  to 
come  when  it  is  entirely  deserved.  Certainly 
it  has  not  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Nelson.  Wealth 
and  friends  have  been  given  him,  and  he  and 
his  faithful  life  partner  enjoy  them  all  with 
no  trace  of  that  offensive  ostentation  that  has 
so  often  shaded  the  lives  of  others.  It  is  a 
pleasure  to  bear  willing  testimony  to  real 
worth,  and  this  last  testimony  voices  the 
sentiments  of  the  entire  community  in  which 
they  live.      In  addition  to  his  extensive  busi- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


65 


ness,  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  Amherst,  Mr. 
Nelson  is  closely  associated  with  property 
interests  and  enterprises  outside  of  that  city. 
Few  men  are  to  be  found  who,  unaided,  have 
made  in  their  early  manhood  so  enviable  a 
success.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
liberal-minded  of  men,  believing  in  the  es- 
sense  of  the  golden  rule — "do  unto  others 
as  you  would  they  should  do  unto  you" — 
seldom  a  day  passing  without  some  tangible 
evidence  of  his  philanthropical  nature  being 
made  manifest.  His  delight  is  in  helping 
others  when  worthy  of  assistance,  and  there 
is  nothing  he  would  not  do  for  a  friend  in 
need,  as  many  a  grateful  heart  knows.  But 
his  liberality  is  not  confined  to  those  in  dis- 
tress and  affliction,  for  others  have  felt  and 
appreciated  the  open-handedness  and  frank- 
ness of  his  generosity.  When  he  and  Rev. 
Perry  Miller  took  their  never-to-be-forgotten 
trip  to  Europe  in  1882  (above  referred  to), 
all  the  latter's  expenses  were  generously  de- 
frayed by  Mr.  Nelson. 

For  seven  years  the  family  lived  in  the 
apartments  over  the  store,  but  in  1877  Mr. 
Nelson  commenced  building  his  present  mod- 
ern residence,  from  time  to  time  adding  to 
it.  The  dwelling  is  both  elegant  and  com- 
modious, situated  in  large,  well-kept  grounds 
ornamented  with  graceful  trees,  picturesque 
shrubbery  and  beautiful  lawns,  the  mansion 
inside  being  furnished  with  all  modern  acces- 
sories to  be  found  in  a  refined  and  cultivated 
home — treasures  in  art  and  bric-a-brac  col- 
lected from  all  quarters  of  the  world,  and  a 
large  and  carefully  selected  library,  them- 
selves presenting  evidence  of  the  literary 
taste  and  accomplishments  of  their  owners — 
the  hJNi  cnscuiblc  presenting  the  refle.x  of 
chaste  and  cultivated  minds. 


IRA  J.  BISHOP  is  one  of  the  honored 
pioneers  of  Waupaca  county,  to  whom 
the  experiences  of  frontier  life  are  very 
familiar,  for  he  has  lived  in  this  State 
since  the  time  when  the  greater  part  of  the 
land  was  in  the  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment, when  settlements  were  widely  scat- 
tered, and  when  Indians  were  still  frequent- 
ly seen.  He  was  the  third  white  child  born 
in  the  town  of   Plymouth,  Sheboygan   Co., 


Wis. — a  son  of  Hiram  and  Amanda  (Bald- 
win) Bishop,  natives  of  Oswego  county. 
New  York. 

Hiram  Bishop's  early  life  was  spent 
mostly  on  the  farm,  where  he  enjoyed  but 
limited  educational  privileges.  He,  however, 
abandoned  the  farm  while  yet  a  boy  in  his 
"teens,"  and  became  a  sailor.  In  this  he 
was  assisted  by  his  brother-in-law,  Capt. 
Chapman,  who  was  a  man  of  stern  de- 
meanor, but  under  the  rough  exterior  there 
existed  a  very  kind  heart,  and  many  a  one 
did  he  help  in  various  ways.  He  secured 
for  Mr.  Bishop  a  position  on  the  lakes, 
which  gave  him  a  start  in  life,  and  Hiram 
was  steadily  promoted  until  he  finally  be- 
came a  sailing  master.  He  was  very  am- 
bitious, not  content  with  mediocrity,  but  al- 
ways working  his  way  to  something  better. 
He  continued  a  sailor  upon  the  lakes  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  in  1844  emi- 
grated to  Sheboygan  county.  Wis.,  where 
he  purchased  wild  land  from  the  govern- 
ment, transforming  it  into  one  of  the  finest 
farms  of  the  neighborhood.  He  still  retains 
possession  of  the  original  eighty  acres,  and, 
although  now  seventy-two  years  of  age, 
operates  it.  His  wife,  but  six  weeks  his 
junior,  has  shared  with  him  in  all  the  trials 
and  hardships  of  life,  and  has  rejoiced  with 
him  as  prosperity  has  come  to  them.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  muscular  power,  often 
astonishing  his  companions  by  exhibitions  of 
his  strength.  The  winter  after  his  arrival 
in  this  State  he  boarded  with  a  neighboring 
family,  and  having  business  in  Milwaukee 
he  went  on  foot  to  that  place,  a  distance  of 
sixty  miles,  following  the  Indian  trails,  for 
there  were  no  roads.  As  hotel  accomoda- 
tions there  were  very  limited,  he  walked 
back  ten  miles  in  order  to  obtain  shelter  for 
the  night,  these  seventy  miles  being  accom- 
plished in  one  day.  Ten  months  previous 
he  had  left. his  trunk  at  the  only  hotel  in  Mil- 
waukee, and  had  hid  some  money  in  it.  The 
landlord  was  very  much  surprised  when  he 
saw  him  return  and  secure  the  money.  In 
the  fall  of  I  845  he  went  to  New  York,  and 
in  July,   1846,  married  Amanda  Baldwin. 

In  August,  1846,  Mr.  Bishop  brought  his 
bride  to  the  little  log  cabin  he  had  erected 
on  his  Wisconsin  farm.      In  payment  for  the 


66 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPBICAL   RECORD. 


previous  winter's  board  he  had  cut  the  tim- 
ber from  the  first  acre  of  land  cleared  on 
what  now  constitutes  the  site  of  the  city  of 
Plymouth,  and  on  that  ground  now  stand 
three  churches.  He  ripened  the  first  apple 
in  Pljmouth,  and  many  people  came  to  see 
it,  while  Ira  J.,  then  a  little  boy,  was  often 
held  up  that  he  might  also  view  the  fruit. 
In  the  little  home  there  was  at  first  no  floor 
and  no  windows,  as  lumber  and  building 
material  were  hard  to  get,  there  being  no 
sawmill  nearer  than  Sheboygan,  fourteen 
miles  away.  These  were  soon  supplied,  but 
for  a  year  and  a  half  Mr.  Bishop  had  no 
team.  He  would  work  for  two  days  for  a 
neighbor  in  order  to  get  the  use  of  an  ox- 
team  for  a  da\',  but  after  a  few  years  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  best  ox-team  in  the 
county,  taking  premium  at  the  first  county 
fair  held  in  Sheboygan  county.  He  contin- 
ued to  cultivate  his  farm  with  the  aid  of  his 
noble  wife  and  children,  until  to-day  the 
property  is  valued  at  several  thousand  dol- 
lars, (i)  Ira  J.  Bishop  is  the  eldest  in  the 
family.  (2)  Mary  Sophia,  who  was  born 
July  5,  185 1,  and  was  a  cultured  young 
lady,     died    at    the    age     of     twenty-five. 

(3)  Lester  Tyler,  born  September  12,  1855, 
is  engaged  in  merchandising  and  other  lines 
of  business  in  Sheboygan ;  he  married  Eva- 
line  Barnard,  daughter  of  his  partner, 
George  W.  Barnard;  this  estimable  lady  died 
June  15,  1895,  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church, 
at  Plymouth,  being  inadequate  to  accommo- 
date those  who  attended  the  funeral  rites, 
evidence  of  the  esteem  in  which  she  was 
held  by  those  who  knew  her;  she  left  two 
daughters,  aged  fourteen  and  ten  respective- 
ly, and  a  son  one  year  old;  Lester  pos- 
sesses excellent  business  ability;  has  been 
clerk  of  the  court,  and  alderman,  also  city 
clerk  of  Plymouth,  and  though  he  is  a  Dem- 
crat  receives  a  large  Republican  support, 
which  indicates  his  popularity  and  the  high 
regard  in  which  he  is  held;  he  is  accounted 
one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Sheboygan. 

(4)  H.  Fayette,  born  May  10,  1859,  went 
to  California  in  1887,  to  engage  in  mining, 
and  no  news  was  heard  of  him  until  January 
II,  1895,  when  he  was  married.  Feeling 
the  necessity  of  an  education  for  his  chil- 
dren, Hiram  Bishop  turned  his  home  into  a 


school  room,  and  gave  his  children  as  good 
advantages  as  were  possible.  All  remained 
at  home  until  after  they  had  attained  adult 
age,  and  strong  family  ties  still  draw  them 
to  the  parental  roof. 

In  1 861,  at  the  earh"  age  of  fourteen, 
Ira  Bishop  began  teaching  school,  receiving 
$15  per  month,  out  of  which  he  paid  $6  for 
board.  In  that  work  he  was  very  success- 
ful, and  won  a  high  reputation  by  untiring 
application.  The  first  school,  held  in  a 
building  16  x  20  feet,  numbered  fifty  pupils. 
He  followed  teaching  fourteen  }ears,  and 
his  wages  were  gradually  increased  to  $75 
per  month;  but  on  account  of  ill  health  he 
was  obliged  to  abandon  that  work.  Two 
years  previous  he  purchased  160  acres  of 
land  in  Waupaca  county,  still  in  its  primi- 
tive condition,  covered  with  a  dense  growth 
of  hard-wood  timber,  and  in  1876  took  up 
his  residence  thereon.  He  was  then  almost 
a  physical  wreck.  He  purchased  two  horse- 
teams,  and  his  father  gave  him  some  grain 
to  feed  them  until  he  should  get  located  and 
at  work;  but  he  could  not  load  the  twelve 
bags  of  oats  into  the  sleigh,  and  it  required 
three  days  and  two  nights  for  him  to  drive 
from  Plymouth  to  Symco,  Wis.  For  al- 
most a  year  he  boarded  with  Mrs.  Z.  Bald- 
win, his  aunt,  then  returned  and  taught  a 
select  school  of  young  teachers.  His  health 
had  rapidly  improved  under  out-door  exer- 
cise, but  this  school  warned  him  of  the  re- 
turn of  difficulty,  and  he  returned  to  his 
farm,  on  which  he  built  a  log  shanty,  14  x 
20  feet,  and  only  six  feet  high,  having  pre- 
viously made  a  small  clearing.  In  it  he 
lived  alone  for  three  years,  cooking  his  food, 
when  a  frame  house  was  built  a  short  dis- 
tance off,  which  has  since  been  remodeled, 
making  a  comfortable  home.  At  one  time 
a  bear  visited  him  while  he  was  cutting  some 
logs  away  from  home.  His  lumbering  was 
done  on  the  land,  and  afforded  him  some 
means  of  living. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  married  December  30, 
1879,  to  Catherine,  daughter  of  David  and 
Catherine  (Remus)  Wolfred,  who  were  of 
Holland  lineage.  Mrs.  Bishop  was  born  in 
Holland,  and  at  the  age  of  six  months  was 
brought  to  America.  Her  father,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  died  while  en  route,  leaving 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPBICAL   RECORD. 


67 


three  children:  Ehzabeth,  wife  of  Isaac 
Eernesse,  who  died  in  1890,  leaving  twelve 
children;  George  C. ,  now  a  farmer  of  Indi- 
ana, and  Mrs.  Bishop,  the  youngest.  The 
mother  afterward  married  Peter  Dillman, 
who  was  of  the  same  country.  She  had 
brought  the  remains  of  her  first  husband  to 
Chicago,  where  he  was  laid  to  rest,  and  thus 
she  was  left  alone  in  a  strange  country  with 
three  children  to  support.  She  then  went 
to  Sheboygan  county.  Wis.,  where  her 
father-in-law,  Christopher  Wolfred,  lived, 
and  worked  hard  to  support  her  family, 
often  walking  three  miles  to  do  a  day's  wash- 
ing. The  children  were  early  forced  to  earn 
their  own  living,  George  starting  alone  for 
Indiana  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  There  he  se- 
cured work,  and  through  honorable  dealing 
has  secured  a  good  home;  he  is  married  and 
now  has  a  family  of  five  children.  By  her 
second  marriage  Mrs.  Dillman  became  the 
mother  of  five  children:  John,  a  fisherman 
of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich. ;  Peter,  who  oper- 
ates the  old  homestead,  and  cares  for  his 
mother,  who  is  now  seventy-two  years  of 
age;  Crena,  wife  of  Jacob  Verdoin,  a  resi- 
dent of  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  two  who  died 
in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Bishop  began  earning  her  living  at 
the  age  of  fourteen,  and  later  learned  the 
dress-making  trade,  which  she  followed  until 
the  time  of  her  marriage,  accumulating  con- 
siderable money,  with  which  she  furnished 
her  home  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  To- 
gether Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  have  labored, 
transforming  the  rugged  wilderness  into  an 
inviting  home,  and  the  success  which  has 
come  to  them  is  due  no  more  to  the  industry 
and  enterprise  of  the  husband  than  to  the 
economy  and  good  management  of  the  wife. 
The  privations  and  discouragements  of  pio- 
neer life  have  been  theirs  in  common  with 
all  who  have  striven  to  extend  the  bounds 
of  civilization.  In  connection  with  farming 
Mr.  Bishop  is  engaged  in  raising  hogs  and 
in  the  dairy  business,  and  during  the  winter 
of  1894  his  wife  made  eleven  hundred 
pounds  of  butter.  This  worthy  couple  have 
the  highest  regard  of  all  who  know  them, 
for  their  many  e.xcellencies  of  character 
command  admiration  and  respect.  They 
are  earnest  advocates  of  the  cause  of  popu- 


lar education.  Socially  Mr.  Bishop  is  con- 
nected with  Plymouth  Lodge  No.  71,  I.  O. 
O.  F.  From  the  Territorial  days  of  Wis- 
consin he  has  resided  within  her  borders, 
has  witnessed  her  entire  growth  as  a  State, 
and  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of 
upbuilding  and  advancement,  being  num- 
bered among  her  valued  citizens,  as  well  as 
honored  pioneers. 


NATHAN     S.     LOCKE,    one    of    the 
prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 
Antigo,    is    a    native   of    the    "Old 
Granite    State,"     his    birth    having 
taken  place  October  27,   1837,  in   the   town 
of  Hopkintown,  New    Hampshire. 

The  Lockes  are  a  well-known  family  in 
New  England,  and  date  their  ancestry  back  to 
John  Locke,  who  was  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land, Sept.  16,  1618,  and  came  to  New  Eng- 
land about  1638.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  courage,  serving  as  captain  in 
the  French  and  Indian  wars  of  the  early 
days,  and  was  so  instrumental  in  defeating 
the  Indians  in  several  of  their  descents  upon 
the  town  as  to  incur  their  special  enmity. 
As  afterward  appeared,  eight  of  their  num- 
ber journeyed  from  Canada  to  Rye,  N.  H., 
with  the  express  purpose  of  killing  him. 
They  succeeded  in  their  attempt  August  26, 
1692,  but  found  the  task  one  of  difficulty 
and  danger.  He  was  attacked  while  reap- 
ing grain  in  the  field,  and  the  sickle  with 
which  the  brave  man  stoutly  defended 
himself,  and  which  was  broken  in  the  com- 
bat, is  now  in  the  museum  of  the  State  His- 
torical Society,  and  on  exhibition  at  their 
family  reunions.  Capt.  John  Locke's  de- 
scendants now  form  a  numerous  and  in- 
fluential family.  •  More  than  two  hundred, 
including  representatives  of  the  fifth  to  the 
ninth  generation,  were  present  at  the  re- 
union held  August  26,  1892,  at  Rye,  N.  H., 
where  their  reunions  are  held  in  honor  of 
the  memory  of  their  heroic  ancestor.  Capt. 
John  Locke  was  the  great-grandfather  of 
Jonathan  Locke,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  served  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  with  great  distinction. 

Jonathan  Locke's  son  David,  father  of 
Nathan  S.  Locke,  our  subject,  was  born  at 


68 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Epsom,  N.  H.,  January  19,  1795.  He  was 
a  wheelwright  by  trade;  he  also  owned  a 
farm  which  he  managed  with  success.  He 
was  an  only  son,  and  had  five  sisters.  He 
was  a  man  of  enterprise  and  integrity.  On 
December  23,  181 8,  he  married  Elizabeth 
S.  Chase,  who  was  born  at  Pittsfield,  N.  H., 
May  II,  1 796,  and  who  was  a  relative  of 
Chief  Justice  Chase,  and  also  of  Bishop 
Chase.  Ten  children  were  born  of  this  mar- 
riage, as  follows:  Drusilla  L. ,  Alpheus  C, 
Mary  E.,  Sarah  C,  Milton  P.,  Ann  M., 
Silas  M.,  Nathaniel  C,  Nathan  S.  and 
George  H.  Neither  of  these  six  sons  has 
ever  used  tobacco  or  liquors  of  any  kind,  nor 
has  their  father.  This  family  inherited  hab- 
its of  frugality  and  industry,  so  productive 
of  success  with  the  true  New  Englander, 
by  which  some  of  them  have  won  for  them- 
selves positions  of  honor  and  usefulness  they 
now  enjoy,  and  by  which  all  have  attained 
a  competency,  some  having  become  wealthy. 
These  brothers  have  given  the  world  some 
of  the  most  valuable  inventions  that  have 
ever  been  produced  for  controlling  the  pres- 
sure of  steam  and  water;  they  have  valu- 
able patents,  in  England,  Germany  and 
France,  on  devices  which  regulate  steam 
and  water  pressures.  They  own  a  large 
plant  at  Salem,  Mass.,  and  manufacture 
their  own  machines.  Nathaniel  C,  the  well- 
known  inventor,  has  made  this  a  special 
study  for  more  than  twenty-five  years,  and 
is  probably  one  of  the  best-informed  men  in 
the  world  to-day  on  this  subject.  The 
mother  of  this  family,  after  a  noble  Chris- 
tian life,  died  at  Hopkintown,  N.  H.,  in 
1869;  the  father,  David  Locke,  after  a 
quiet,  useful  life,  died  at  the  same  place  in 
1886. 

Nathan  S.  Locke,  of  this  family,  was 
given  all  the  advantages  of  good  schools, 
and  was  a  student  for  two  years  in  the 
Claremont  (N.  H.)  Seminary,  by  careful 
improvement  of  his  time  becoming  quite 
skilled  in  the  trade  of  house  building.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Lewiston, 
Maine,  living  in  the  home  of  his  oldest 
brother,  Alpheus.  About  this  time  he 
learned  the  art  of  photography,  and  followed 
the  business  for  five  years  in  Lewiston,  also 
two  years   in    Boston.      In    1865    he    came 


west,  locating  at  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  where 
he  pursued  his  former  vocation  for  a  short 
period  of  time,  after  which  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Outagamie  county.  Wis.,  and  began 
the  enterprise  of  farming  with  all  the  per- 
sistent industry  which  characterizes  his  na- 
ture, and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  be- 
came a  successful  and  well-to-do  farmer. 
He  was  married  November  7,  1865,  to  Ab- 
bie  G.  Ware,  who  was  born  in  Kennebec 
county,  Maine,  daughter  of  Cyrus  E.  and 
Nancy  A.  (Mitchell)  Ware,  who  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  whose  names  are: 
Mary  M.,  Abbie  G. ,  Emma  H.,  Nancy  E. 
and  James  F.  Her  father's  famil}'  came 
west  in  1855,  and  settled  in  Outagamie 
county,  Wis.,  where  Mr.  Ware  engaged  in 
lumbering  and  general  mercantile  business. 
He  was  an  active  business  man,  and  amassed 
a  fortune.  He  was  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  during  his  lifetime  held  numerous 
public  offices,  though  in  no  sense  an  office- 
seeker.  His  son  James  F.,  an  attorney-at- 
law,  is  a  graduate  of  Lawrence  University, 
Wis.,  and  also  of  Ann  Arbor  (Mich.)  Law 
School.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Assembly  in  1880,  1881,  1883,  and  he  was 
elected  State  Senator  in  1884,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  remained  until  1888,  proving  a 
hard  worker,  never  shirking  responsibility, 
but  by  honest  endeavor  proving  himself  ca- 
pable of  filling  the  prominent  positions  into 
which  he  was  frequently  placed.  He  also 
created  and  worked  for  the  passage  of  im- 
portant bills  which  have  proved  to  be  for 
the  betterment  of  the  people  of  Wisconsin; 
the  establishing  of  the  Home  for  Friendless 
Children  at  Sparta,  Wis.,  and  other  bills 
which  have  greatly  improved  the  State  laws 
relative  to  social  purity.  Abbie  G.,  of  this 
family,  wife  of  Nathan  S.  Locke,  was  form- 
erly a  student  at  Lawrence  University,  and 
was  for  eight  j-ears  a  successful  and  favorite 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Outagamie 
county.  Wis. ,  where  she  was  universally  es- 
teemed for  her  many  virtues,  and  correct 
Christian  living.  She  became  early  identi- 
fied with  the  Woman's  Christian  Temper- 
ance organization,  to  which  she  is  ardentl}' 
attached.  In  May,  1866,  Nathan  S.  Locke 
and  wife  united  with  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Hortonviile,    Wis.,    wherein   Mr. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


69 


Locke  was  a  leading  and  influential  member, 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for 
years.  And  through  all  these  years  of  char- 
acter building  they  have  sought  instruction 
from  the  great  Giver  of  all  our  blessings. 

Mr.  Locke  sold  his  farming  interests  in 
1882,  and  moved  to  Antigo.  which  was  then 
in  its  infancy.  He  invested  in  village  lots, 
and  land,  and  began  building  houses  to  sell 
and  rent.  He  has  had  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness, building  generally  for  himself,  though 
he  has  built  quite  a  number  for  other  people. 
He  has  aided  several  societies  in  securing 
houses  of  worship  and  parsonages;  was  a 
liberal  contributor  toward  securing  the  rail- 
road improvements  at  Antigo;  he  has  al- 
ways aided  financially  in  the  temperance 
work  of  the  place,  of  which  cause  both  he 
and  his  wife  are  strong  advocates.  He  is 
closely  identified  with  the  growth  of  the 
town,  and  takes  great  interest  in  its  advance- 
ment and  prosperity.  He  owns  quite  a 
large  amount  of  real  estate,  both  in  the  city 
and  county,  and  is  one  of  those  who  add 
largely  to  the  upbuilding  of  their  commu- 
nity. 


EDWARD  W.  WHITSON.  It  is  be- 
lieved the  Whitson  family,  of  whom 
this  gentleman  is  a  worthy  represen- 
tative, were  of  Welsh  descent,  im- 
migrating to  this  country  about  the  time  the 
English  captured  New  Amsterdam  (now 
Long  Island)  from  the  Dutch.  They  were 
all  Quakers,  and,  as  a  rule,  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits. 

Abraham  Underbill  Whitson,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  on  Long  Island,  in 
Queens  county,  in  1810,  where  he  received 
his  primary  education  and  was  employed 
about  the  farm.  In  early  manhood  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Hannah  C.  Willis, 
of  Long  Island,  where  she  was  born  in  18 10, 
of  English  parentage.  To  this  union  were 
born  si.\  children,  viz. :  Ann,  now  Mrs. 
Miles  (a  widowj,  living  in  Marquette  county, 
Wis. ;  Sarah,  now  Mrs.  Frink,  a  resident  of 
the  same  place;  Abraham,  the  eldest  son, 
who  went  west  and  was  killed  by  the  Indi- 
ans (when  last  heard  from  he  was  in  Idaho) ; 
Daniel,   unmarried,  and   living  in   southern 


Nebraska;  Townsend  W.,  married,  and  living 
on  the  old  homestead,  in  Packwaukee,  Mar- 
quette Co.,  Wis.,  where  the  father  settled 
in  185 1,  and  died  in  in  18.S0;  the  mother's 
death  occurred  in  1892. 

Edward  W.  Whitson  is  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  having  been  born  on  Long  Island, 
April  I,  1851.  He  was  but  an  infant  when 
his  parents  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1851,  and 
here  he  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  common  schools,  but  later  in  life  at- 
tended the  academy  at  Madison,  Dane  Co., 
Wis.,  for  two  years.  During  his  early  life 
Mr.  Whitson  was  employed  about  the  farm; 
but  on  attaining  his  majority  he  accepted  a 
position  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Madison,  re- 
maining there  one  year.  In  1882  he  was 
married  to  Anna  D.  Jones,  at  Montello, 
Marquette  Co.,  Wis.,  and  immediately  after- 
ward entered  the  employ  of  D.  J.  Spauld- 
ing,  of  Unity,  Clark  Co.,  Wis.,  as  clerk  and 
lumber  shipper,  remaining  there  three  years. 
He  then  moved  to  Merrill,  Lincoln  Co., 
Wis.,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 
In  1889  Mr.  Whitson  came  to  Tomahawk  and 
entered  theemployof  the  Tomahawk  Lumber 
Co.,  as  foreman  of  their  lumberyard,  which 
position  he  filled  one  year;  but  being  a  young 
man  of  great  ambition,  he  soon  afterward 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for  him- 
self, which  he  still  continues  to  carry  on, 
having  been  very  successful.  In  1878,  be- 
fore his  marriage,  Mr.  W^hitson  worked  for 
one  year  in  the  Black  Hills  mines,  being  em- 
ployed by  a  government  surveying  party, 
and  also  by  a  stage  company  for  one  year. 
Mrs.  Whitson  is  a  daughter  of  John  C.  and 
Jane  (Pritchard)  Jones,  both  natives  of 
Wales,  who  came  to  America  when  very 
young.  They  were  married  in  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  Jones  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a 
highly-educated  man,  very  much  respected, 
and  one  to  whom  people  often  went  for 
advice.  His  death  occurred  in  1867;  his 
widow  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Whitson  is  one 
of  a  family  of  ten  children,  viz.  :  John  C, 
Richard  L. ,  Anna  D.,  Maggie,  William  C. 
Elias,  David  C,  Robert  R. ,  Edward  and 
Ellen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitson  have  four 
children:  Anna  E.,  Grace  M.,  Mabel  and 
Edward. 

Mr.  Whitson    has  always  been   a  stanch 


7° 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Republican,  a  man  of  strong  character  and 
great  influence,  and  is  looked  up  to,  respect- 
ed and  admired  by  the  entire  community. 
In  1 874  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Tomahawk, 
this  being  his  first  public  office.  Socially, 
he  is  a  Mason,  being  a  charter  member  of 
Tomahawk  Lodge  No.  243,  and  has  filled 
all  the  chairs,  having  been  a  member  of  this 
society  since  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age;  he  still  takes  an  active  part  in  the  work. 
In  religious  faith  the  family  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 


JOHN  FINCH.  That  a  review  of  the 
life  of  such  an  energetic  and  enter- 
prising individual,  as  is  the  subject  of 
this  memoir,  should  have  prominent 
place  in  the  pages  of  a  work  of  this  kind  is 
peculiarly  proper;  because  a  knowledge  of 
men,  whose  substantial  record  rests  upon 
their  attainments,  character  and  success, 
must  at  all  times  e.xert  a  wholesome  influence 
upon  the  rising  generation  of  the  American 
people,  and  can  not  fail  to  be  more  or  less 
interesting  to  those  of  maturer  years. 

Mr.  Finch  is  a  native  of  Niles,  Berrien 
Co.,  Mich.,  born  May  18,  1834,  to  Benoni 
W.  and  Elizabeth  (Hollimond)  Finch,  who 
were  of  English  and  Scotch  descent,  re- 
spectively, the  father  born  in  Dutchess 
county,  N.  Y.,  the  mother  in  Woodville, 
Miss.  Benoni  Finch  was  captain  of  a  boat 
that  plied  on  the  St.  Joseph  river,  Michigan, 
between  Niles  and  St.  Joseph,  and  in  1835 
he  moved  with  his  family,  consisting  of  wife 
and  eight  children,  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick.  He  built  the  first  brick  house  ever 
erected  in  Milwaukee,  and  was  the  first  sheriff 
of  Milwaukee  county — in  fact  active  in  all 
the  affairs  of  a  public  nature  at  that  early 
period.  He  died  of  cholera  morbus  August 
15,  1 85 1,  and  lies  buried  near  Fort  Atkinson, 
Wis.,  whither  he  had  moved  in  1841,  follow- 
ing farming  there  until  1846,  in  which  year 
he  came  to  Stevens  Point,  where  he  carried 
on  lumbering  operations;  and  it  was  while 
on  a  visit  to  Fort  Atkinson  that  death  over- 
took him  as  above  related.  In  his  political 
predilections  he  was  a  Whig. 

The  subject  proper  of  this   memoir  re- 


ceived a  liberal  common-school  education, 
and  when  seventeen  years  old,  the  time  of 
his  father's  decease,  took  up  the  lumbering 
business,  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
prominently  identified — logging  and  running 
lumber  on  the  Wisconsin  river  by  contract, 
commonl}'  known  as  "  piloting,"  by  which 
it  will  be  seen  that  he  is  a  pioneer  in  that 
industry  in  this  section  of  the  State.  From 
boyhood  Mr.  Finch  has  been  a  consistent 
Democrat,  the  only  vote  he  ever  recorded 
on  the  Republican  ticket  having  been  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  when  he  first  ran  for 
President,  and  he  has  always,  as  a  leader  in 
his  party,  taken  an  active  interest  in  poli- 
tics. His  ability  and  administrative  qualifi- 
cations have  received  substantial  recogni- 
tion by  the  people,  he  having  been  several 
times  placed  in  positions  of  honor  and  re- 
sponsibility. In  1877  he  was  elected  sheriff 
of  Portage  county  by  a  flattering  majority 
of  190,  and  after  serving  two  years  he  was 
re-elected  in  1882,  this  time  for  a  three- 
years'  incumbency,  after  which  he  served 
four  years  as  under  sheriff.  In  1886  he  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  chief  of  police  at 
Stevens  Point,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
five  years,  proving  himself  a  most  active 
official,  and  a  terror  to  evil-doers.  While 
he  was  under  sheriff  Mr.  Finch  attended  to 
all  the  criminal  business. 

In  1855  Mr.  Finch  was  married  to  Miss 
Malinda  jjarrett,  daughter  of  Joel  Barrett, 
a  farmer  and  lumberman  by  occupation,  who 
came  to  Wisconsin  from  Montreal,  Canada, 
and  to  this  union  were  born  nine  children,  a 
brief  record  of  whom  is  as  follows:  Frankie 
H.  is  married  to  E.  R.  Week,  of  Alexandria, 
Ind. ;  Marion  L.  is  the  wife  of  August  Fulker, 
a  druggist  of  Merrill,  Wis.  ;  Lizzie  A.  is  mar- 
ried to  Eugene  Martin,  of  Cadott,  Wis.,  in 
the  lumber  business;  Carrie  E.  is  married  to 
Charles  E.  Smith,  who  is  engaged  in  rail- 
road insurance  business  at  Chicago,  111. ; 
Henry  J.,  assistant  postmaster  at  Stevens 
Point,  is  married  to  Josie  Main;  Addie  L. 
is  the  wife  of  Frederick  Perkins,  a  locomo- 
tive engineer,  with  residence  in  Abbottsford, 
Wis. ;  while  Robert  B. ,  Merle  E.  and  John 
H.  are  all  yet  at  home.  Of  these,  Mrs. 
Frankie  H.  Week,  from  the  age  of  six- 
teen to  the  time  of  her  marriage,  was  a  sue- 


"/X^--  cr^^^-^-w:^ 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOQRAPSICAL   RECORD. 


7^ 


cessful  teacher  in  the  public  schools,  chiefly 
of  Portage  county,  also  in  the  La  Crosse 
High  School,  all  in  Wisconsin,  and  for  three 
terms  was  president  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion. 

Politically  Mr.  Finch  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  April  i6,  1893,  he  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position  of  postmaster  at 
Stevens  Point,  taking  possession  of  the  office 
May  27,  1893.  He  is  by  nature  admirably 
qualified  to  fill  any  public  office  of  trust,  and 
during  his  several  incumbencies  he  has  never 
been  charged  with  anything  approaching 
even  a  tinge  of  impropriety  or  informality, 
in  all  business  relationships  proving  himself 
a  thoroughly  efficient  and  competent  officer. 


CAPT.  ELMER  E.  AMES.  In  pre- 
senting to  our  readers  the  life  record 
of  this  gentleman  we  record  the 
history  of  a  self-made  man,  a  public 
spirited  citizen,  and  of  one  who  in  the  esteem 
of  those  who  know  him  occupies  a  most 
enviable  position.  He  was  born  in  Durand, 
111.,  on  the  8th  of  May,  1861,  and  is  de- 
scended from  one  of  the  early  New  England 
families.  His  grandfather,  Allen  Ames, 
was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  during  his  boyhood  removed 
from  his  native  State,  Massachusetts,  to 
New  York,  where  he  was  reared  to  man- 
hood. He  there  married  Aloma  Thompson, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Milo,  Anice,  Lorinda,  Hila,  Lavern  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  In  his  early  life  Allen 
Ames  worked  in  a  sawmill  and  lumberyards, 
but  subsequently  gave  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  is  still  living  near 
Jamestown,  N.  Y. ,  but  his  wife  died  about 
1868. 

Milo  E.  Ames,  Capt.  Ames'  father,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Stockton,  Chautauqua 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1826,  and  having  arrived  at 
years  of  maturity  married  Lydia  D.  Childs, 
who  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  but  in  early 
life  was  taken  to  the  Empire  State.  Her 
mother  Dolora  (Crawford)  Childs,  died  in 
Massachusetts,  when  she  was  only  eight 
years  of  age,  after  which  the  father  married, 
again,  having  one  child  by  the  second  union. 


His  death  occurred  in  New  York.  In  the 
Empire  State,  Milo  E.  Ames  carried  on 
farming  until  1844,  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Rock  county,  Wis.,  but  after 
a  short  time  went  to  Durand,  111.,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  furniture  business.  In  1868 
he  returned  with  his  family  to  New  York, 
where  his  wife  died  the  following  year,  while 
he  survived  her  only  until  1871.  Their 
children,  seven  in  number,  bear  the  names 
of  Lona  D.,  Flora  E.,  Belle  D.,  Elmer  E., 
Solon  H.,  Ella  C.    and  Eunice   D. 

Captain  Ames  was  left  an  orphan  at  the 
age  of  ten  years.  The  family  was  then 
broken  up,  and  in  order  to  earn  a  living  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  through  the  summer 
months,  while  in  the  winter  season  he  at- 
tended school,  his  time  being  thus  passed 
until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  When 
a  youth  of  twelve  years  he  decided  to  come 
to  Wisconsin  and,  making  the  journey  alone, 
at  length  arrived  at  the  home  of  his  moth- 
er's brother  in  Mayville,  Dodge  county. 
Seven  years  later  he  went  to  Ripon,  Wis., 
and  learning  the  miller's  trade,  followed  that 
pursuit  for  six  years,  or  until  the  spring  of 
1886,  when  he  came  to  Marshfield  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Upham  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
two  years  as  second  miller.  He  then  acted 
as  their  traveling  salesman  for  two  years, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1891  embarked  in  the 
furniture  business  in  connection  with  G.  W. 
Upham,  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  E. 
Ames  &  Co.,  the  partnership  continuing  un- 
til May,  1894.  He  then  sold  his  interest  to 
Mr.  Upham,  and  organized  the  Marshfield 
Bedding  Company,  of  which  he  is  the 
heaviest  stockholder.  He  was  elected  its 
secretary  and  treasurer,  and  soon  became 
general  manager  and  superintendent  of  what 
is  now  one  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  the 
city.  Employment  is  furnished  to  thirty 
workmen,  and  the  industry  is  managed  on 
strict  business  principles;  the  employes  are 
paid  good  wages,  are  treated  with  considera- 
tion, and  in  return  labor  for  the  interests  of 
the  company,  and  turn  out  first-class  work, 
which  finds  a  ready  sale  in  the  market. 
Ever  fair  and  honorable  in  all  business 
transactions,  Mr.  Ames  has  won  the  confi- 
dence and  good  wishes  of  those  with  whom 


72 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


he  has  had  dealings,  and  prosperity  is  now 
attending  his  efforts. 

In  Ripon,  Wis.,  October  15,  1884,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  Captain  Ames 
and  Lulu  Belle  Stephens,  who  was  born  in 
Wisconsin  in  1863,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Abbie  S.  (Derby)  Stephens.  The  parents 
were  natives  of  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  the 
father  born  in  1822,  and  in  the  family  were 
three  children:  Lulu  Belle,  Carlos  D.,  and 
Clara  S.  The  grandfather,  James  Steph- 
ens, belonged  to  a  family  that  were  of  the 
Quaker  faith.  The  maternal  grandparents, 
James  and  Abbie  Stephens,  emigrated  to 
Wisconsin  in  1850,  and  the  former  died 
in  March,  1886.  The  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ames  numbers  two  interesting  daugh- 
ters, Clara  Belle  and  Gladys  Lona. 

The  Captain  supports  the  Republican 
party,  and  though  he  never  seeks  office  for 
himself  labors  in  the  interest  of  his  friends. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  He  won  his  title  as  commander 
of  Company  A,  Second  Regiment  Wis.  N.  G. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization 
of  the  regiment  in  1888,  at  which  time  he 
was  elected  first  lieutenant,  and  in  August, 
1889,  he  was  chosen  captain.  It  was  first 
organized  as  an  independent  company,  but 
was  mustered  into  the  State  service  in  1888, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1893  was  made  the  Sec- 
ond Regiment.  Mr.  Ames  ranks  as  the 
eighth  captain  in  the  State,  and  is  an  hon- 
ored commander,  very  popular  with  the 
members  of  his  company,  and  esteemed  by 
all  who  know  him. 


CHARLES    EDWARD  WEBSTER. 
This  well-known  prominent  farmer- 
citizen,     and    present    treasurer   of 
Portage  county,  is   a  native  of  the 
State  of   Maine,  born   December   15,    1839, 
in  Carritunk  plantation,  Somerset  county. 

He  is  a  son  of  Enoch  and  Lydia  H. 
(Fletcher)  Webster,  also  of  Maine,  where 
the  father  conducted  a  farming  and  lumber- 
ing business,  coming  west  from  there  with 
his  family  in  August,  1845,  and  locating  for 
a  time  in  Lyons,  Walworth  Co. ,  Wis.  In 
1847  they  moved  to  Rosendale,  Fond  du  Lac 
county,    and   in    1855   to  Amherst,    Portage 


county,  where  the  father  followed  farming 
and  other  business  until  retiring  into  private 
life;  he  is  now  in  his  eighty-second  year. 
He  served  as  postmaster  at  Amherst  sixteen 
years,  justice  of  the  peace  thirty-si.\  years, 
besides  in  various  minor  offices,  such  as 
supervisor,  county  commissioner,  etc.  In 
1863  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
Assembly,  and  served  one  term.  His  wife 
died  in  Amherst  in  1892.  The  Webster 
family,  of  whom  our  subject  is  a  member, 
are  descended  from  Thomas  Webster,  an 
Englishman,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1636,  locating  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H. ;  the  Fletchers  were  also  an 
old  family  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Boston  and  Concord,  Mass.,  about  the 
year  1630. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  receiv- 
ed his  education  in  the  schools  of  Fond  du 
Lac  and  Portage  counties,  and  remained  un- 
der the  parental  roof  until  the  spring  of 
1 86 1,  when  he  moved  to  Minnesota,  and 
there  took  up  a  claim  in  Waseca  county. 
About  that  time  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  had 
broken  out,  and  our  subject,  fired  with  the 
spirit  of  patriotism,  enlisted  May  20,  that 
year,  in  Company  G,  First  Minn.  V.  I. ,  in 
which  he  served  two  years,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  on  account  of  sickness. 
He  participated  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  Ball's  Bluff,  and  was  with  McClellan 
during  the  Peninsular  campaign,  also  in  the 
engagements  at  Fair  Oaks,  Malvern  Hill, 
etc.  On  January  30,  1865,  he  re-enlisted, 
this  time  in  Company  B,  Forty-sixth  Wis. 
V.  I.,  taking  rank  as  sergeant,  from  which 
he  was  promoted  to  sergeant-major,  and 
served  through  Tennessee  and  Alabama 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  finally  mus- 
tered out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  September 
27,  1865.  Returning  north,  he  came  to 
Wisconsin  and  bought  a  farm  in  Almond 
township.  Portage  county,  and  at  once  com- 
menced agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he 
continued  till  September,  1893,  when  he 
moved  into  the  village  of  Amherst  and  par- 
tially retired  from  active  life.  At  one  time 
he  owned  about  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Almond  and  adjoining  townships. 

On  March  27,  1866,  Mr.  Webster  was 
united  in  marriage  with   Miss   Mary  Frost, 


COHMBMOBATIVB   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


73 


daughter  of  Daniel  B.  and  Jane  (Cowan) 
Frost,  and  five  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  as  follows:  Daniel  Edward,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and 
now  in  the  employ  of  the  Westinghouse  Co., 
in  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  as  electrician,  as  is  also 
John  E.,  who  was  a  student  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Wisconsin,  where  he  graduated  in 
June,  1894;  Genevieve,  attending  the  Nor- 
mal school  at  Stevens  Point;  Oscar  F.,  at 
home,  and  Rollin  F. ,  who  died  at  Almond, 
Wis. ,  in  1880,  aged  twelve  years.  Politically 
our  subject  is  a  Republican,  and  he  served 
three  years  as  township  clerk  of  Amherst 
township;  in  1869  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  county  board  from  Amond  township,  and 
with  the  exception  of  two  years  served  con- 
tinuously until  September,  1893;  also  served 
as  chairman  of  the  county  board  several 
years,  and  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Almond 
township  sixteen  years.  During  the  session 
of  1887  he  was  appointed  and  served  as 
transcribing  clerk  of  the  Wisconsin  State 
Senate;  in  November,  1893,  he  was  ap- 
pointed, by  the  county  board,  treasurer  of 
Portage  county,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  is 
now  serving  as  such,  having  been  elected  in 
the  fall  of  1894.  He  has  always  been  an 
active  worker  in  politics,  and  has  several 
times  served  as  delegate  to  both  State  and 
Congressional  conventions.  Socially,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  G.  A.  R. 
Although  Mr.  Webster  is  practically  retired, 
he  to  some  extent  deals  in  real  estate,  and 
looks  after  his  private  affairs,  which  still 
occupy  much  of  his  attention. 


RUDOLPH   KRATCHE,  an  enterpris- 
ing, energetic  citizen  of  Antigo,  Lang- 
lade county,  is  a   native   of  Wiscon- 
sin, born  February  8,   1865,  in  Man- 
itowoc county,    a    son   of    Paul   Kratche,    a 
Bohemian  by  birth,    who  first  saw  the  light 
in  1828. 

Paul  Kratche  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1850,  settling  in  Mishicott  township, 
Manitowoc  Co.,  Wis.,  where  he  married 
Miss  Anna  Holup,  a  lady  of  European  birth, 
by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Mary,  John, 
Joseph,  Rudolph  and  Louis.  The  father  of 
these,  who  was  a   farmer,    died    in  October, 


1893;  the  mother  is  yet  living,  and  is  in 
comfortable  circumstances.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  died  in  Europe, 
leaving  a  widow  and  four  sons. 

Rudolph  Kratche  received  a  practical 
public-school  education,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  commenced  clerking  in  a  general 
store  at  Manitowoc,  where  he  remained 
some  five  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago, and  in  that  city  clerked  for  Marshall 
Field  &  Co.  three  years.  From  Chicago 
he  came  direct  to  Antigo,  in  1887,  and 
clerked  for  L.  Strasser  four  years,  or  until 
the  beginning  of  1892,  in  February  of  which 
year  he  commenced  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, opening  a  dry-goods  and  ladies'  fur- 
nishing store.  He  carries  a  full  stock,  an 
excellent  line  of  goods,  enjoys  a  lucrative 
trade,  and  has  never  had  any  help.  In 
1890  Mr.  Kratche  was  married  to  Miss 
Blanche  Teitgen,  also  a  native  of  Manito- 
woc county.  Wis.,  and  one  little  daughter, 
Viola,  has  come  to  brighten  their  home. 
In  politics  our  subject  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  he  is  neither  a  poli- 
tician nor  an  office-seeker,  his  business  re- 
quiring all  his  time.  He  and  his  amiable 
life  partner  are  faithful  members  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church  of  Antigo. 


DANIEL  SULLIVAN,  a  leading  lum- 
berman of  northern  Wisconsin,  with 
residence     in     Rhinelander,    Oneida 
county,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born 
in  the  County  of  Chateauquay,  Province  of 
Quebec,  April  4,  1838. 

Patrick  Sullivan,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1803,  was  married 
there  to  Margaret  O'Malley,  and  in  1826 
they  came  to  Canada,  where  they  followed 
farming  pursuits.  They  had  seven  children, 
namely:  Two  deceased  in  infancy,  John  and 
Daniel,  both  living,  and  Thomas,  Cornelius 
and  Mary  Ann,  deceased.  The  mother  of 
these  died  in  1847,  and  the  father  subse- 
quently married  Ellen  Swords,  by  whom  he 
had  nine  children,  named  respectively:  Mag- 
gie, James,  Theresa,  Peter,  Agnes,  Veroni- 
ca, Andrew,  Francis  and  Catherine.  The 
father  died  in  1885.  He  had  one  brother, 
Daniel,  who  came   to   America,  settling  in 


74 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPmCAL   RECORD. 


New  York  State,  where  he  was  a  lumber- 
man, and  died  leaving  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren^— two  sons  (Michael  and  Daniel),  and 
four  daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  educated 
at  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood  of 
his  place  of  birth,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
left  home  to  work  in  the  lumber  woods  of 
Canada  two  winters,  running  logs  down  the 
Grand  river,  in  the  Province  of  Quebec,  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  In  1857  he  came 
to  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  locating  at  Wau- 
sau,  where  he  made  his  home  some  twenty 
years,  all  that  long  period  of  time  engaged 
as  superintendent  of  Walter  D.  Mclndoe  & 
Co.'s  mills  and  camps;  also  looking  up  and 
locating  pine  land  (after  the  first  two  years 
he  worked  by  contract).  He  then  returned 
to  Canada,  purchased  a  farm  in  the  Parish 
of  St.  John  Chrysostome,  Chateauquay  Co., 
Quebec,  and  conducted  same  four  years,  at 
the  end  of  that  time  selling  out,  and  once 
more  coming  to  Wisconsin,  in  1882,  settling 
at  Rhinelander,  where  he  again  took  up  lum- 
bering, which  he  followed  until  1887.  On 
July  I,  1889,  he  was  appointed  "govern- 
ment farmer"  on  the  Indian  Reservation  at 
Lac  du  Flambeau,  in  Vilas  county.  Here  he 
remained  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  resigned  his  position,  and  returning 
to  Rhinelander  resumed  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, in  company  with  John  Curran. 

In  September,  1863,  in  Canada,  Mr.  Sul- 
livan was  married  to  Miss  Cordelia  Sloan, 
who  was  born  in  1847,  at  Napierville,  Can- 
ada, daughter  of  Patrick  and  Julia  Ann 
(Atkins)  Sloan,  natives  of  Ireland  who  emi- 
grated to  Canada,  and  were  there  married. 
They  were  pioneer  farming  people  who  cut  the 
timber,  cleared  the  land  and  built  the  house 
wherein  they  are  yet  living,  at  Napierville, 
Quebec.  They  had  thirteen  children,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  eleven  growing  to 
manhood  and  womanhood,  their  names 
being:  Jane,  Cordelia,  Lizzie,  Catherine, 
Mary  Ann,  William,  Charles,  Albert, 
George,  Theresa  and  Isabella.  Mr.  Sloan 
was  captain  in  the  Canadian  militia 
during  the  rebellion  in  that  country  of  1837- 
38.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sullivan  have  no  children. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and,  in  addition 
to  the  government  position   he    held  at  Lac 


du  Flambeau,  he  has  served  as  supervisor 
of  Pelican  township,  Oneida  county.  In 
religious  faith  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


ADAM    PAULUS,    proprietor   of    the 
Marshficld  Nnvs,    and    postmaster 
at   Marshfield,    Wood  count)',    is    a 
native  of  Wisconsin,    born    at  Chil- 
ton, June  29,   1866. 

In  boyhood  he  learned  the  printer's  trade 
in  the  Times  office  at  Chilton,  and  subse- 
quently held  positions  in  the  offices  of  the 
Scn/iih'l,  Milwaukee,  and  Sun,  Kaukauna, 
Wis.  In  August,  1889,  he  came  to  Marsh- 
field,  and  in  company  with  John  P.  Hume 
established  the  Ncios.  He  was  chairman 
of  the  Democratic  City  Committee  in  1892- 
93,  till  his  appointment  as  postmaster  at 
Marshfield,  September  7,  1893.  In  No- 
vember, 1894,  he  bought  out  the  interest  of 
John  P.  Hume  in  the  Xczvs,  becoming  sole 
proprietor.  The  paper  is  a  lively,  newsy 
sheet,  Democratic  in  its  political  leanings 
and  influences,  and  enjoys  the  largest  circu- 
lation of  any  in  Wood  county. 


OWEN   CLARK,    a    well-known    pro- 
minent and   prosperous  agriculturist 
and  lumberman  of  Portage  county, 
is  a  native  of  New  York  State,  born 
February    15,    1840,    in    Oneida  county,    in 
the  town  of   Deerfield,  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from   Utica. 

Owen  Clark,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  in  1849  came 
to  Wisconsin  with  his  children,  for  about 
one  year  sojourning  in  Milwaukee,  but  in 
the  fall  of  1850  entering  160  acres  of  land 
two-and-one-half  miles  northeast  of  Mon- 
tello,  Marquette  Co.,  Wis.  He  after- 
ward acquired  more  land,  becoming  quite  an 
extensive  farmer,  and  he  died  in  the  fall  of 
1875,  when  aged  ninety-four  years,  at  the 
home  of  his  son  Owen  in  Stevens  Point. 
His  wife  Mary  (Condon)  died  in  New  York 
State  when  our  subject  was  between  four 
and  five  years  old.    They  were  both  natives 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOOBAPHWAL    RECORD. 


75 


of  Ireland,  the  father  being  fifteen  years  old 
when  he  arrived  on  the  shores  of  the  New 
World,  and  they  were  married  in  Utica, 
New  York. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  came 
to  the  Upper  Wisconsin  \'alley  in  the  fall  of 
1856,  locating  in  Knowlton,  Marathon 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  lumbering 
both  in  the  woods  and  on  the  river  for  about 
a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved 
to  Wausau,  and  here  was  given  charge  of  a 
sawmill,  part  of  the  time  working  by  con- 
tract. In  February,  1864,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Third  Wis.  V.  I.,  which  was 
attached  to  the  First  Brigade,  First  Divi- 
sion, Twentieth  Army  Corps,  commanded  by 
Gen.  Hooker,  and  shortly  after  his  enlist- 
ment he  joined  his  regiment  at  Fayetteville, 
Tenn.  After  three  months  from  his  first  en- 
listment he  commenced  to  see  active  service, 
taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Buzzard's 
Roost  and  Resaca,  Ga. ,  also  at  Dallas, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  and  in  all  the  engage- 
ments up  to  Atlanta,  and  was  with  Sherman's 
army  on  its  memorable  march  to  the  sea. 
Mr.  Clark  also  participated  with  his  regi- 
ment in  numerous  other  engagements  and 
skirmishes  from  Buzzard's  Roost  to  Atlanta, 
and  thence  to  the  sea;  then  through  North 
and  South  Carolina  to  Washington.  In  fact 
he  was  with  his  company  continually,  never 
missing  a  roll-call  or  a  meal  from  sickness 
or  any  other  cause,  and  marched  the  entire 
distance,  nearly  three  thousand  miles, 
covered  by  his  compan}'  in  its  several  cam- 
paigns. He  was  present  at  the  final  Grand 
Review  in  Washington,  May  24,  1865,  and 
was  mustered  out  of  service  in  August, 
same  year,  as  corporal,  to  which  rank  he 
had  been  promoted  in  the  preceding  June. 
Returning  home,  he  in  the  spring  of  1866 
secured  employment  as  general  manager  of 
the  Goodhue  &  Bellsmir  Mill  on  the  Plover 
river,  east  of  Stevens  Point,  where  he  re- 
mained over  summer,  and  then  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  he  was  employed  in  William 
Avery's  mill  at  Stevens  Point,  after  about  a 
year  and  a  half  buying  the  mill,  which  he 
operated  for  his  own  account  until  the  spring 
of  1 89 1,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Since  then  he  has  been  retired  from  the 
lumber  business,  and   has  devoted   his  time 


and  attention  exclusively  to  his  farm  of  420 
acres  just  west  and  adjoining  the  city  limits 
of   Stevens  Point. 

On  November  30,  1867,  Mr.  Clark  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  E.  Gar- 
diner, daughter  of  John  W.  and  Lucinda  M. 
(Raney)  Gardiner,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y. ,  of  English 
origin  and  of  patriotic  Revolutionary  stock, 
grandfather  Gardiner  (who  was  a  brother  of 
Lord  James  Gardiner)  having  served  in  the 
war  of  Independence.  He  was  living  at  Cherry 
Valley  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  massacre  at 
that  place,  but  was  absent,  serving  in  Wash- 
ington's army,  his  wife,  children  and  servant 
being  left  at  home.  The  latter  reported  to 
Mrs.  Gardiner  that  the  Indians  were  coming, 
and  the  mother  escaped  into  the  woods  with 
her  children,  where  they  remained  in  hiding, 
and  she  had  frequently  to  stifle  the  cries  of 
the  youngest  one  by  stuffing  her  apron  into 
its  mouth,  fearing  the  savages  might  hear 
it.  John  Gardiner,  son  of  this  Revolu- 
tionary warrior,  and  father  of  John  W.  Gar- 
diner, served  in  the  war  of  1812,  participat- 
ing in  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane.  John 
W.  Gardiner,  when  a  young  man,  went  to 
Lower  Canada  (now  Province  of  Quebec) 
and  there  married  Lucinda  M.  Raney.  In 
1839  he  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating  at 
Evansville,  Rock  county,  where  he  erected 
a  gristmill  and  followed  the  milling  business 
until  1848,  the  year  of  his  coming  to  Stevens 
Point,  leaving  his  family  behind.  Here  he 
invested  in  several  hundred  acres  of  land, 
heavily  timbered  with  pine,  and  in  1850  he 
brought  his  wife  and  ten  children  to  their 
new  home;  the  names  of  the  latter  are  John 
W. ,  James  I.,  Ellen,  Jane  M.,  Emeline, 
Elizabeth  M.,  Almond,  Anna  E.,  Henrietta 
and  Franklin.  Of  these  John  and  Almond 
were  soldiers  in  the  Union  army,  the  latter 
enlisting  when  but  si.xteen  years  old.  Mr. 
Gardiner  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness on  a  large  scale,  and  became  very  suc- 
cessful; he  was  public-spirited  and  popular, 
much  given  to  works  of  benevolence,  and  he 
donated  the  timber  for  the  building  of  the 
first  Methodist  Church  and  the  first  Episco- 
pal Church  buildings  ever  erected  at  Stevens 
Point.  In  185  I  he  built  the  residence  (now 
occupied  by  his  widow)  on  the  south  side  of 


76 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Main  street,  between  George  and  Church 
streets.  He  was  killed  by  an  accident,  in 
1852,  while  running  his  lumber  over  the 
Little  Ball  Falls,  Wisconsin  river,  and  was 
buried  under  the  auspices  of  the  Temper- 
ance Society,  of  which  he  was  an  ardent 
member. 

The  children  that  have  come  to  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  Byron  F., 
born  August  15,  1869,  educated  at  Notre 
Dame,  Ind. ;  Hallie  M.,  born  July  27,  1874, 
now  attending  Knox  College  at  Galesburg, 
111.;  Owen  W. ,  born  November  29,  1877, 
and  Raney  J.,  born  July  12,  1880,  all  living 
at  home  except  Hallie  M.,  as  above  men- 
tioned. Politically  Mr.  Clark  is  a  Demo- 
crat, has  served  as  alderman  of  Stevens 
Point  sixteen  years,  as  mayor  three  terms, 
and  is  now  serving  his  fourth.  Socially,  he 
is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. ,  Stevens  Post 
No.  156,  of  which  he  has  been  commander 
three  times,  and  is  now  serving  the  fourth 
time.  He  is  a  thoroughly  representative, 
progressive  and  liberal-minded  American 
citizen. 


CARL  H.  MUELLER.  Anomalies 
exist  in  the  lives  of  many  prominent 
men  that  perplex  unless  the  key  to 
their  solution  is  found.  It  might 
seem  strange  that  Carl  H.  Mueller,  now  a 
prominent  attorney  of  Wausau,  should,  as 
the  scion  of  a  prominent  German  family, 
flee  the  Fatherland  in  order  to  escape  con- 
scription in  the  German  army,  only  to  espouse 
with  ardor  the  Union  cause  in  America,  and 
enthusiastically  give  it  the  best  years  of  his 
life.  Yet  such  is  the  case.  The  explana- 
tion is  that  the  conscription  was  compulsive 
and  tyrannous,  and  that  in  America  he 
quickly  imbibed  the  spirit  of  national  lib- 
berty  and  unity,  and  was  ready  to  yield  his 
life's  blood  for  its  perpetuity. 

Mr.  Mueller  was  born  in  Schwelm,  West- 
phalia, Prussia,  July  16,  1839,  son  of  Her- 
mann Henry  and  Amelia  (Langewiesche) 
Mueller,  of  whose  four  children  three  sur- 
vive: Carl  H.,  and  two  in  Germany — 
Marie,  widow  of  Rudolph  Kline,  and  Her- 
mann, both  of  Schwelm.  Hermann  Mueller 
was  a  merchant  of  high  standing  in  that  vil- 


lage, a  member  of  a  family  in  which  large 
landed  interests  in  Westphalia  have  been 
entailed  since  the  year  800  A.  D.,  now  in 
the  possession  of  Carl's  cousin.  Two  of 
Mrs.  Mueller's  brothers  were  lieutenants  in 
the  German  army.  Carl  H.  attended  the 
common  schools  at  home,  and  the  commer- 
cial college  of  Ebberfeld,  after  which  he  en- 
tered the  ofifice  of  a  wholesale  hardware 
store,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  was  a  com- 
mercial traveler.  He  expected  to  escape 
conscription,  as  his  father  was  over  sixty 
years  of  age,  and  his  one  brother  was  only 
eight  years  old;  but  at  twenty  he  received 
the  fatal  notice  that  he  must  serve  four  years, 
and  then  go  into  the  Landwehr,  and  be  lia- 
ble for  service  for  maneuvres,  or  during 
war,  until  he  was  forty-two  years  old.  A 
cousin  from  Houghton,  Mich.,  was  then  vis- 
iting the  old  country,  and  before  the  time 
arrived  for  taking  the  oath  Carl  was  on  his 
way  to  America  with  his  cousin.  Landing 
at  New  York  in  1859  they  proceeded  to 
Houghton,  Mich.  Unable  to  speak  English, 
and  thus  unable  to  use  his  commercial  train- 
ing, Carl  found  work  as  a  common  laborer 
in  the  mines  until  the  fall  of  i860,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Ransom  Sheldon,  a 
merchant  of  Houghton. 

When  the  call  for  volunteers  came,  the 
young  German  emigrant  was  among  the  first 
to  enroll  his  name,  enlisting  in  Company  F, 
First  Mich.  V.  I.,  and  was  hurried  to  the 
front.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Mechanicsville,  Gaines' Mills,  the  seven-days' 
fight  before  Richmond,  Peach  Orchard, 
White  Oak  Swamp,  Savage  Station,  Mal- 
vern Hill,  the  retreat  to  Harrison's  Land- 
ing and  the  consequent  skirmishes,  Gaines- 
ville, second  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Shep- 
herdsville  and  Shepherdstown.  At  the  lat- 
ter place,  October  i,  1862,  he  suddenly  be- 
came ill,  for  ten  days  being  insensible,  and 
on  regaining  consciousness  he  found  himself 
in  the  hospital  at  David's  Island,  New  York. 
He  was  there  three  weeks,  and  was  dis- 
charged November  2,  1862,  on  account  of 
double  hernia.  During  his  service  he  had 
been  sergeant,  and  for  some  time  had  acted 
as  adjutant's  clerk.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he 
returned  to  Houghton,  Mich.,  acting  as  re- 
cruiting officer  until  the  spring  of  1 864,  when, 


COMMEMORATIVE    BWORAPEICAL    RECORD. 


77 


under  a  captain's  commission,  he  reported 
to  the  provost  marshal  at  Corunna,  \Iich., 
with  135  recruits.  He  was  assigned  to  Com- 
pany I,  Thirty-first  Mich.  V.  I.,  but  was  re- 
fused muster  on  account  of  disabiHty,  and 
was  again  honorably  discharged.  Later  he 
acted  as  recruiting  officer  on  the  Upper 
Peninsula  of  Michigan,  where  he  had  entire 
charge  of  the  different  recruiting  offices  in 
that  vicinity.  Again  he  reported  at  Corunna 
with  eighty-three  men,  and  thus  saved  the 
Lake  Superior  region  from  draft. 

Returning  to  Houghton  Mr.  Mueller  re- 
entered the  employ  of  Mr.  Sheldon,  and 
soon  had  the  management  of  the  express 
business,  and  of  the  post  office  at  that  city. 
In  the  spring  of  1865  he  established  a  gro- 
cery and  fruit  business,  and  sold  out  in  1 866, 
preparatory  to  a  return  to  Germany,  in  re- 
sponse to  the  entreaties  of  his  parents.  He 
reached  his  native  place  as  an  American 
citizen,  and  a  crippled  soldier;  but  he  was 
so  thoroughly  Americanized  that  a  continued 
stay  in  the  monarchical  Germany  was  im- 
possible, and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
returned  to  his  adopted  country.  Wintering 
at  Milwaukee,  he  commenced  working  at  the 
lumber  business  at  Wausau  in  the  spring  of 
1867,  supplementing  that  occupation  with 
teaching,  bookkeeping,  etc.;  in  1869  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  serving  three 
years.  In  1872  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
since  when  he  has  served  seven  terms  as 
city  attorney  of  Wausau,  and  two  terms  as 
district  attorney  of  Marathon  county.  In 
1887  he  was  re-elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  held  that  position  until  the  spring  of 
1895.  Mr.  Mueller  is  also  president  of  the 
Wausau  Cemetery  Association,  commissioner 
of  the  Marathon  County  Soldiers'  Relief 
Fund,  and  a  circuit  court  commissioner. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  Wausau  Lodge, 
No.  215,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Marathon  En- 
campment, No.  17;  also  Cutler  Post,  No. 
55,  G.  A.  R.,  which  he  has  served  as  com- 
mander and  vice-commander. 

At  Houghton,  Mich.,  March  3,  1864, 
Mr.  Mueller  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  K. 
Keidel,  daughter  of  Henry  Keidel,  of  Alsfeld, 
Hessen,  Germany,  and  two  children  were 
born  to  them:  Herman,  who  was  drowned 
at  the  age  of  nine    years   in    the    Wisconsin 


river  at  Wausau,  July  6,  1873,  and  Ida  E., 
wife  of  Jacob  Mortonson,  a  prominent  lum- 
berman of  Wausau.  Mr.  Mueller  has  been 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Marathon  county 
since  his  residence  there. 


WINSLOW  HALE  HOLMES  first 
saw  the  light  of  day  in  Concord, 
Jackson  Co.,  Mich.,  December 
18,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
Holmes,  a  miller  and  stone  mason. 

David  Holmes  built  the  mills  for  the 
Padocks  in  Concord  sometime  in  the  "  thir- 
ties "  when  Michigan  was  a  Territory,  and 
many  cobble-stone  houses,  with  sandstone 
trimmings  and  old-fashioned  gables,  stand 
to-day  as  monuments  to  his  skill.  He  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1795.  His  father, 
John  Holmes,  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ire- 
land, and  married  Miss  Sarah  Moore,  who 
was  born  in  Scotland.  Mrs.  Lucinda  (Wat- 
son) Holmes,  mother  of  our  subject  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Watson,  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  his  father  coming  of  early 
New  England  stock  who  came  from  old  Eng- 
land. The  mother  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
her  name  being  Anna  Hamilton.  The  father 
of  Winslow  Hale  Holmes  lived  in  Ohio  dur- 
ing the  early  formation  of  the  negro  "  under- 
ground railway,"  and  was  an  active  worker 
toward  helping  slaves  to  gain  their  freedom. 
He  was  the  father  of  eleven  children — five 
sons  and  si.x  daughters.  He  died  in  1851, 
his  widow  in  1861.  Of  the  family,  Wins- 
low  (the  youngest)  and  two  sisters  only  are 
now  living,  two  of  the  brothers  having  been 
killed  in  the  war  for  the  Union  (three  were 
in  the  service). 

Our  subject  learned  the  printer's  trade 
with  his  brother  David  in  the  office  of  the 
Jackson  (Michigan)  Citizen,  under  the  tutor- 
age of  Col.  C.  V.  DeLand  in  1858-59-60. 
His  early  schooling  was  gained  by  walking 
three  miles  a  day  to  a  district  school  in  Pu- 
laski, Mich.,  in  winters,  and  working  on  a 
farm  in  the  summer  time.  In  the  winters 
of  1858  and  i860  he  attended  the  Union 
School  in  Jackson,  Mich.  In  1863  he  was 
foreman  of  the  Three  Rivers  (Michigan) 
Reporter,  and  while  there  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  T.  Oaks,  of  Marcellus,  Mich.    Mr. 


78 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPSICAL   RECORD. 


and  Mrs.  Holmes  reared  one  daughter,  the 
mother  of  whom  died  in  1873.  Mr.  Holmes 
married  Miss  Hetta  K. ,  daughter  of  M.  J. 
Lathrop,  in  May,.  1874,  at  Hastings,  Mich. 
Four  sons  and  two  daughters  have  blessed 
this  union;  one  of  the  daughters  died  in 
1 89 1.  Mr.  Holmes  was  forman  of  the  Ann 
Arbor  (Michigan)  Courier  in  1861-62;  fore- 
man of  the  Marshall  (Michigan)  Statesman 
in  1867-68;  held  a  business  interest  in  and 
was  foreman  of  the  Charlotte  (Michigan) 
Republican  in  1869-70;  foreman  of  and  held 
a  business  interest  in  the  Hastings  (Michi- 
gan) Banner  in  1 870-73 ;  then  was  half-owner 
in  the  Hastings  yf;/;-^*?/ until  1880.  Remov- 
ing to  Wisconsin,  he  was  foreman  of  the 
'^\^on  Free  Press  in  1880-82;  bought  the 
Waupaca  Republican  in  1883,  and  still  con- 
tinues as  its  editor  and  publisher.  He  was 
city  clerk  from  1889  to  1893,  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  helping  to  herald  the  beauties 
and  resources  of  Waupaca,  and  encourage 
the  establishment  of  enterprises  of  various 
kinds  in  the  city,  having  taken  an  active 
part  in  establishing  a  rival  telephone  line 
and  exchange,  "The  Badger,"  in  the  city, 
he  being  manager  of  the  exchange  in  Wau- 
paca. Mr.  Holmes  is  also  secretary  of  the 
Humane  Society  and  recorder  in  the  Uni- 
form Rank  K.  of  P. 


HON.  HENRY  W.  WRIGHT.  Under 
different  circumstances  and  in  the 
many  varieties  of  human  character 
we  find  exhibited  in  biography  some- 
thing to  instruct  us  in  our  duty,  something 
to  encourage  our  efforts  under  every  emer- 
gency and,  perhaps  there  is  no  combination 
of  events  which  produces  this  effect  more 
certainly  than  the  steps  by  which  distinc- 
tion and  positions  of  honor  have  been 
acquired  through  the  unaided  efforts  of 
youthful  enterprise,  as  illustrated  in  the  life 
of  Henry  W.  Wright. 

A  native  of  Wisconsin,  he  first  saw  the 
light  at  Racine,  March  10,  1846,  and  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  W.  Wright,  who  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Manchester,  England,  a  son 
of  James  Wright,  also  of  English  birth, 
who  was  married  in  the  Mother  country, 
some  years    later   emigrating  to    the    New 


World,  and  settling  on  a  farm  in  Michigan 
where  he  died.  The  son  Thomas  W., 
however,  had  come  to  this  continent  prior 
to  this,  making  his  first  American  home  in 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  where  he  married  Miss 
Angeline  Knowles,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  by  whom  he  had  a  family  of  eight 
children:  Thomas,  James  (I),  Lydia,  Mary, 
Henry  W. ,  James  (H),  Charles  and  Belle, 
all  born  in  Wisconsin  except  Thomas  and 
James  (I).  In  an  early  day  Thomas  W. 
Wright  and  his  wife  came  to  Wisconsin,  at  first 
making  their  home  at  Geneva,  afterward 
removing  to  Racine.  By  trade  he  was  a 
carpenter,  and  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  wagons.  In  1854  he  went  to 
California,  and  died  there;  his  wife  was 
called  from  earth  May  6,  1882,  while  resid- 
ing in  Racine. 

The  subject  proper  of  this  writing  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  common  and  high 
schools  of  Racine,  Wis. ;  but  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  laid  aside  his  books  for  the 
rifle,  enlisting,  in  1862,  in  Company  K, 
Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  in  which  he  saw 
active  service  two  and  one-half  years,  when 
he  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany H,  First  Missouri  Cavalry,  having 
previously  been  promoted,  while  in  the 
Seventh,  to  sergeant  and  sergeant-major, 
respectively.  While  scouting  he  was  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy,  but  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing his  escape  twelve  hours  afterward.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Memphis, 
(Mo.),  Prairie  Grove  (Ark.),  Springfield 
(Mo.),  Cassville  (Mo.),  and  Helena,  Little 
Rock,  Pine  Bluff,  and  Saline  River,  or 
Jenkins  Ferry  (Ark.).  He  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service  in  June,  1865,  with  an  excel- 
lent war  record,  and  returned  to  Racine, 
Wis.,  where  for  a  year  he  was  employed  on 
the  railroad,  afterward  keeping  books  for 
several  prominent  commercial  firms. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  Wright  commenced  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  Racine,  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  an  enterprise 
he  successfully  conducted  until  September, 
1 88 1,  when  he  sold  out  and,  in  company 
with  ex-Congressman  Myron  H.  McCord, 
commenced  business  in  Merrill,  Lincoln 
county,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the 
present   vast  plant  of    the   H.    W.    Wright 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


79 


Lumber  Co.,  of  which  our  subject  is  the 
chief  moving  spirit — "the  head  and  front." 
The  firm  have  the  most  extensive  plant  of 
the  kind  in  the  Upper  Wisconsin  Valley, 
consisting  of  sawmills,  sash,  door  and  blind 
factory,  etc. ,  which,  combined,  give  employ- 
ment to  an  average  of  300  men,  at  times  as 
many  as  640  names  being  on  the  pay-roll. 
The  buildings,  which  in  every  respect  are  first- 
class,  are  equipped  with  all  modern  im- 
provements, and  are  lighted  throughout 
with  electricity.  With  all  his  employes  Mr. 
Wright  is  on  the  most  friendly  terms,  and  if 
there  are  any  wrongs  to  be  righted  or  favors 
granted,  he  is  appealed  to  individually. 

On  November  i,  1871,  Mr.  Wright  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie  Buchan, 
who  was  born  in  Dover,  Racine  Co. ,  Wis. , 
daughterof  Edward  and  Jane  (Tillie)Buchan, 
who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
named-respectively:  Andrew,  Oliver,  Mary, 
Edwin,  Alfred,  Samuel,  Carrie  and  Thomas, 
all  born  in  America.  The  parents  were 
both  natives  of  Scotland,  whence,  about  the 
year  1840  they  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  here  Atr.  Buchan  for  a  time  followed 
his  trade,  that  of  miller;  but  his  health  fail- 
ing him,  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Dover, 
Racine  Co.,  Wis.,  whereon  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  days.  He  died  in  18  — ;  his  widow 
is  yet  living,  now  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wright  have  been  born  three  children: 
James  A.,  manager  of  his  father's  lumber 
yard;  Alfred  H.,  in  his  father's  office,  and 
Nettie  E.,  attending  school  at  Kemper  I-Iall, 
Kenosha,  Wis.  Mrs.  Wright  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wright  is  an  uncompro- 
mising Republican,  and,  as  a  local  paper 
has  said  of  him,  ' '  while  he  has  never  sought 
an  office  of  honor  or  emoluments  in  his  life, 
yet  he  has  filled  responsibilities  of  trust,  and 
helped  to  shape  the  policy  of  the  Republican 
party  in  Wisconsin. "  While  a  resident  of 
Racine  he  served  as  postmaster  for  nearly 
six  years,  having  been  appointed  to  that  po- 
sition by  President  Hayes;  he  was  also  alder- 
man and  supervisor  of  that  city.  Since 
coming  to  Merrill  he  has  served  as  alder- 
man of  the  Fifth  ward,  and  filled  the  may- 
or's chair  one   year,  during  which  adminis- 


tration it  was  demonstrated  that  the  man- 
agement of  the  city  affairs  could  not  be  im- 
proved upon.  At  present  Mr.  Wright  takes 
no  more  interest  in  politics  than  any  good 
citizen  ought,  being  too  closely  engaged  in 
business  to  devote  more  than  a  little  time  to 
political  affairs.  While  a  resident  of  Ra- 
cine he  was  secretary  of  the  Building  Com- 
mittee of  that  city.  In  Merrill  he  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank;  is  a 
member  of  the  Lumberman's  Association  of 
the  Wisconsin  Valley,  and  of  the  F.  &  A. 
M. ,  in  high  standing.  Mr.  Wright  is  a  man 
of  commanding  presence,  possessed  of  great 
force  of  character,  and  "when  he  under- 
takes to  do  anything  the  work  is  almost  done 
before  it  is  begun.  Such  men  are  generally 
stern  men,  not  easily  swayed  from  any  given 
path,  and  this  can  be  said  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Yet  he  has  a  heart  as  tender 
as  a  woman,  and  no  man,  woman  or  child 
ever  went  to  good,  big-hearted  Henry  W. 
Wright  with  a  tale  of  woe  without  coming 
away  helped  and  encouraged." 


JAMES  B.  DAWLEY.  There  is  more 
of  the  romantic  and  pathetic  in  some 
life  histories  than  in  others,  yet  if  the 
depths  of  each  could  be  sounded  rom- 
mance  might  perhaps  be  found  in  all.  But 
however  that  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the 
early  struggles  of  the  Dawley  family  in  Port- 
age county,  and  the  golden  character  thereby 
developed  from  the  straits  into  which  these 
pioneers  were  forced  by  circumstances  makes 
an  appealing  and  interesting  recital.  It  is 
the  story  of  a  man  who,  on  the  verge  of  the 
grave,  comes  into  a  wilderness,  and  with  al- 
most superhuman  efforts  seeks  to  make  a 
home  for  his  wife  and  little  ones  before 
death  takes  him  away,  and  then  of  the  brave 
efforts  made  by  the  widow  to  continue  the 
toilsome  undertaking  thus  inaugurated. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  June  12,  1850,  son  of 
Jesse  B.  and  Lydia  (Searles)  Dawley,  both 
natives  of  Rhode  Island.  Jesse  B.  Dawley 
was  born  May  9,  1823,  his  wife  September 
5,  1822.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner, 
practically  without  means,  and  a  victim  of 
consumption.      Yearning  for  a  home  of  his 


8o 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


own  he  in  the  fall  of  1852  with  his  wife  and 
family,  then  consisting  of  two  sons,  started 
from  Newport,  R.  I.,  for  Providence,  same 
State,  from  which  city  he  embarked  for  Mil- 
waukee. Three  days  later  he  was  in  Jeffer- 
son county,  Wis.,  with  fifty  cents  in  his 
pocket.  For  a  year  he  supported  his  family 
here  by  day's  work,  then  in  October,  1853, 
he  pushed  northward  to  what  is  now  Section 
6,  Stockton  township.  Portage  county.  It 
was  then  in  a  primitive  condition.  Not  a 
stick  of  timber  had  been  cut.  Mr.  Dawley 
had  for  a  little  while  indulged  the  fond  delu- 
sion that  the  change  of  climate  might  bene- 
fit his  health,  but  this  was  quickly  dispelled, 
and  his  only  aim  was  to  secure  a  home  for 
his  family.  He  knew  nothing  of  farming, 
but  he  was  ambitious  and  anxious  to  learn. 
With  his  own  hands  he  built  a  log  cabin,  the 
first  habitation  on  the  farm.  Gradually 
growing  worse,  he  died  August  23,  1857, 
and  was  buried  in  a  private  cemetery  on  the 
farm.  A  widow  was  left  to  mourn  and  to 
provide  for  four  small  children,  the  eldest 
not  yet  nine  years  of  age.  Inspired  by  her 
affection  for  the  children,  the  brave  woman 
struggled  on  amid  the  hardships  of  the  fron- 
tier, beneath  which  men  often  quailed.  She 
kept  her  family  together,  and  the  children 
appreciate  her  efforts.  They  are  as  follows: 
La  Fayette  D.,  born  February  23,  1849, 
now  a  carpenter  and  contractor  of  Ada, 
Minn.,  who  never  learned  his  trade,  but  in- 
herited from  his  father  a  marked  mechanical 
ability,  and  whose  family  consists  of  Mabel 
F.,  Etha  I.,  Lillian  E.  and  Ivan  B. ;  James 
B.,  born  in  Providence,  R.  I;  Julius  E.,  born 
in  Jefferson  county,  Wis.,  April  23,  1852, 
now  head  clerk  in  a  large  general  store  at 
Aitkin,  Minn.,  and  who  has  one  child,  Regi- 
nald E. ;  Emma  I.,  born  June  29,  1854,  now 
at  home. 

James  B.  Dawley  has  remained  from  his 
early  boyhood  until  now  upon  the  farm,  ex- 
cepting seventeen  months,  which  he  spent 
on  a  farm  in  Rock  county.  Wis.,  when  he 
was  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  old.  His  school 
advantages  were  meager,  but,  largely  by  his 
own  individual  study,  he  has  picked  up  a 
common  education.  He  was  one  of  the  three 
brothers  who,  by  their  united  efforts,  in  1870, 
built  a  good  home,  doing  all  the  work  them- 


selves. James  B.  was  married  October  30, 
1889,  in  Wautoma,  to  Letitia  T.  Cogswell, 
a  native  of  that  village,  and  daughter  of 
Asa  A.  Cogswell.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daw- 
ley two  children  have  been  born.  Royal  M. 
and  Jessie  R.  In  politics  Mr.  Dawley  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  served  as  town  clerk, 
and  his  reports  were  the  best  prepared  of 
any  submitted  that  year  to  the  county  offi- 
cials. For  two  years  he  was  township  treas- 
urer, and  for  ten  years  he  has  served  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  For  many  years  he  has 
served  either  as  clerk  or  as  assistant  clerk  at 
all  elections.  In  1887  he  was  elected  sec- 
retary of  the  Stockton  Fire  Insurance  Co., 
and  still  serves  in  that  capacity.  His  busi- 
ness calls  him  all  over  the  fourteen  town- 
ships of  Portage  county,  and  has  given  him 
an  extensive  acquaintance.  In  his  business 
relations  he  is  guided  by  his  sense  of  right, 
and  unswervingly  adheres  to  his  convictions 
when  once  formed.  Mr.  Dawley  is  one  of 
the  best  citizens  of  the  county,  and  has  led 
a  useful  and  active  life.  His  services  are 
sought  in  every  movement  or  meeting  of 
general  interest  in  the  township.  The  wid- 
owed mother  still  lives  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years,  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
son.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Brethren 
Church. 


ANTONI  BREITENSTEIN.  It  seems 
to  be  the  mission  of  some  lives  to 
show  the  possibilities  of  human  na- 
ture, to  show  how,  for  example,  a 
young  man,  without  advantages  of  any  kind, 
may  so  seize  the  present,  so  adapt  himself  to 
circumstances,  and  then  mold  those  circum- 
stances to  his  own  well-being,  that  he  rides 
ever  upon  the  crest  of  the  wave,  and  steers 
the  fragile  bark  of  human  endeavor  through 
the  tossing  sea  of  adverse  fate  into  the  har- 
bor of  peace  and  plenty.  There  are  men  so 
wise  and  prudent,  so  determined  and  ener- 
getic, that  they  would  succeed  in  any  sphere 
of  life,  and  one  of  them  is  he  whose  name 
appears  above. 

Antoni  Breitenstein  is  the  son  of  a  poor 
peasant  of  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany), 
Michael  Breitenstein,  who  had  met  with  busi- 
ness reverses  in  his  native  land,  and  who  in 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOORAPHICA.L    RECORD. 


8i 


February,  1843,  resolved  to  mend  his  for- 
tunes in  America.  He  had  barely  means 
enough  to  make  the  journey  with  his  wife, 
Catherine  (Goss),  and  two  children.  Antoni 
and  Barbara.  Antoni  was  born  April  11, 
1830,  and  was  therefore  only  twelve  years 
of  age  when  he  took  passage  from  Havre 
with  his  parents  and  sister,  in  the  American 
sailing  vessel  "St.  Nicholas,"  which,  after  a 
passage  of  thirty-five  days,  landed  them  at 
New  York.  They  reached  Pittsburg,  Penn. , 
with  a  capital  of  two  dollars.  After  living 
with  his  son-in-law  for  some  time  Michael 
Breitenstein  rented  a  farm  in  Robinson 
township,  Allegheny  Co.,  Penn.,  near  Pitts- 
burg, and  three  years  later,  while  pulling 
sweet  potatoes,  he  was  bitten  in  the  hand  by 
a  copperhead  snake.  Despite  the  best  medi- 
cal aid  the  wound  resulted  fatally,  several 
days  afterward.  Misfortunes  multiplied,  for 
the  mother  died  several  weeks  later,  after  a 
brief  illness,  and  a  daughter,  Mary,  was 
called  away  at  about  the  same  time.  Michael 
Breitenstein  and  wife  were  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  were  buried  in  Troy 
Hill  Cemetery,  Allegheny.  Of  their  ten 
children  six  died  young;  Mary  married  in  Al- 
sace, and  died  in  Pittsburg;  Lawrence,  an 
officer  in  the  French  army,  died  in  the  serv- 
ice; Antoni  and  Barbara  were  the  sole  sur- 
vivors, the  latter  being  now  Mrs.  Lawrence 
Hagennauer,  of  Pittsburg. 

Our  subject  was  sixteen  years  old  when 
thus  orphaned.  He  had  mastered  the  Eng- 
lish language  within  six  weeks  after  he 
reached  America,  and  in  a  year  his  foreign 
nativity  could  not  be  detected  from  his  con- 
versation. Though  still  a  boy,  he  resolved  to 
continue  the  gardening  life  of  his  parents.  He 
was  industrious  and  energetic,  and  felt  compe- 
tent for  the  work.  He  hired  help,  and  had 
credit,  and  for  a  term  of  years  successfully  car- 
ried on  the  business,  each  year  adding  to  his 
capital.  He  was  married,  in  February,  1854, 
at  Birmingham,  a  suburb  of  Pittsburg,  to 
Miss  Mary  Beck,  who  was  born  in  Wurtem- 
berg,  Germany,  in  1832,  daughter  of  Wit- 
bold  and  Theresa  (Biechle)  Beck,  and  who 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  with  a  brother  and 
sister,  crossed  the  ocean  from  Havre  to  New 
York  in  twenty-one  days,  and  settled  in 
Pittsburg,  \\here  another  brother  then  lived. 


At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Breitenstein 
was  a  well-to-do  young  man.  He  was  well 
equipped  with  farming  tools,  and  by  his  good 
management  and  industry  had  prospered. 
He  continued  farming  in  the  Chartiers  Val- 
ley, Allegheny  Co.,  Penn.,  until  February, 
1865,  when  he  migrated  to  what  is  now 
Stockton  township,  Portage  Co. ,  Wis. ; 
while  still  at  Pittsburg  he  had  bought  land 
in  Marathon  county,  but  he  never  lived 
there.  He  came  with  his  family  to  Wis- 
consin by  rail  as  far  as  Berlin,  then  the 
northern  terminus  of  the  railroad,  and  by 
team  continued  the  journey  to  Stevens  Point 
with  his  family,  then  consisting  of  five  chil- 
dren. For  six  years  he  lived  near  Stockton 
station,  then  moved  to  Section  6,  same 
township,  where  he  has  since  remained.  He 
erected  the  first  building  on  the  place.  His 
first  160  acres  were  enlarged  by  subsequent 
purchases  until  Mr.  Breitenstein  owned  720 
acres.  This  has  now  been  reduced  to  560 
acres  by  donations  to  his  children.  His 
family  is  as  follows:  Lawrence,  proprietor 
of  a  planing-mill  at  Knowlton,  Wis. ;  Lena, 
now  Mrs.  John  Gerdes,  of  Stevens  Point; 
Louisa,  at  home;  Michael,  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator; Antoni  W. ,  a  potato  merchant  of 
Stockton  and  Custer,  Wis. ;  Richard,  a  car- 
penter and  merchant  of  Stevens  Point, 
member  of  the  firm  of  Breitenstein  &  Ger- 
des; Charles,  an  operator;  Mary,  at  home. 
In  politics  Mr.  Breitenstein  was  once  an 
active  Democrat,  but  he  is  now  to  some  de- 
gree an  independent,  and  votes  in  local  elec- 
tions for  the  better  candidate,  regardless  of 
politics.  He  has  declined  office  himself, 
preferring  to  devote  his  time  to  personal 
business.  Himself  and  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Breitenstein 
is  one  of  Stockton's  best  farmers,  and  he 
owes  his  prosperity  to  his  own  efforts.  He 
never  attended  an  English  school.  His 
struggle  in  early  years  was  a  bitter  one,  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  has  attained  his 
comfortable  competence  has  won  for  him 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him.  His  sons  and  daughters  are  prosper- 
ous young  men  and  women,  and  though 
sixty-five  years  have  come  and  gone  in  the 
life  of  this  worthy  man  he  still  has  a  large 
reserve  fund  of  vitality.    He  can  yet,  if  he  so 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOORAPEICAL    RECORD. 


elects,  perform  any  kind  of  farm  work.  His 
good  wife  has  nobly  borne  her  share  of  toil 
and  responsibility  in  life's  hard  battle,  and 
enjoys  equally  with  her  husband  the  esteem 
and  best  wishes  of  her  many  acquaintances. 
Had  his  early  advantages  been  better,  it  is 
impossible  to  sa\-  what  wider  sphere  in  life 
Mr.  Breitenstein  might  not,  with  his  native 
talents,  ha\e  creditably  filled.  But  in  the 
life  which  he  has  lived  none  could  more 
manfully  have  met  and  overcome  the  bars 
to  deserved  good  fortune. 


CHRISTIAN  OSSWALD,  a  promi- 
nent baker  and  merchant,  is  one  of 
the  progressive  business  men  of 
Wausau.  Like  many  other  suc- 
cessful men,  Mr.  Osswald,  in  his  youth, 
learned  a  trade,  and  by  using  this  trade  as 
his  capital,  and  by  watching  his  opportuni- 
ties, the  way  to  a  prosperous  and  active  ca- 
reer in  time  presented  itself  to  him. 

He  is  of  German  birth,  the  son  of  John 
M.  and  Katrina  (Getterj  Osswald,  and  was 
born  in  \Vurtemburg,  Germany,  March  12, 
1834,  both  natives  of  the  Fatherland.  Of 
the  family  of  six  Christian  is  the  eldest  sur- 
vivor. Three  sisters  and  the  aged  mother 
are  supposed  at  this  writing  to  survive  in 
Germany,  and  the  father  died  in  1854. 
Christian  received  in  Germany  the  thorough 
elementary  education  which  that  country 
now  guarantees  its  youth,  and  after  leaving 
the  schools  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  baker. 
Upon  completing  the  trade  he  worked  in 
Germany  for  a  short  time,  but  in  the  fall  of 
1854,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  immigrated 
to  America.  Going  to  Utica,  N.  Y. ,  he 
there  learned  the  trade  of  a  brewer,  remain- 
ing two  years.  In  1856,  deeming  the  West 
richer  in  opportunities,  and  desiring  to  re- 
turn to  his  earlier  trade,  he  migrated  to  Mil- 
waukee, and  for  ten  years  was  steadily  em- 
ployed in  a  baking  establishment.  Then  he 
came  to  Wausau,  and  for  five  years  worked 
on  the  Wisconsin  river,  and  in  the  logging 
camps  as  a  cook.  At  last  he  saw  what  he 
thought  was  the  right  opening  for  himself, 
and  in  August,  1871,  he  engaged  for  him- 
self in  the  bakery  business  at  Wausau,  at 
his   present    location.      His    judgment    was 


correct.  Mr.  Osswald  applied  himself  dili- 
gently to  the  work  of  building  up  for  himself 
a  large  and  profitable  trade,  and  he  has  suc- 
ceeded to  an  admirable  degree;  and  during 
his  residence  there  for  a  period  of  more  than 
a  score  of  years,  he  has  thoroughly  ingra- 
tiated himself  into  the  well  wishes  and  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  is  now  uni- 
versally regarded  as  one  of  the  city's  deserv- 
ing and  most  substantial  citizens.  He  at 
present  represents  the  Second  ward  of  the 
city  in  the  common  council  as  alderman,  and 
is  a  member  of  Wausau  Lodge  No.  215,  I. 
O.  O.  F. ;  also  of  the  Sons  of  Hermann,  and 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Osswald's  political 
affiliations  are  w-ith  the  Democratic  party. 
The  family  attend  St.  Paul's  Evangelical 
Church. 

Mr.  Osswald  was  married  at  Milwaukee, 
in  1 86 1,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Dresel,  daughter 
of  Bernard  and  Sabina  Dresel,  natives  of 
Germany.  To  this  union  twelve  children 
have  been  born,  seven  of  whom  survive,  as 
follows:  John  Frederick,  a  baker,  at  Wau- 
sau; Katrina,  wife  of  H.  J.  Zentner,  of  Osh- 
kosh;  Gustave  Adolph,  a  partner  in  the  bak- 
ery business  with  his  brother,  John  F. ;  Ber- 
tha Marie;  Henry;  Emma  Carolina;  and 
Alexander. 


REV.  GUSTAVE  SOLOMON  MUN- 
DINGER,  pastor  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  Manawa,  Waupaca  coun- 
ty, is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
honored  and  respected  families  of  this  sec- 
tion. He  was  born  January  i,  1869,  in 
Bloomfield  township,  Waushara  county,  a 
son  of  Solomon  and  Julia  (Abraham)  Mun- 
dinger,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  Jan- 
uary I,  1830,  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany, 
and  the  latter  December  6,  1839,  also  in 
Germany.  The  father  was  a  son  of  John 
Mundinger,  who  was  descended  from  a  noble 
family. 

In  his  younger  days  the  father  followed 
weaving,  and  in  1856  came  to  America, 
first  locating  in  New  York  City,  whence 
after  a  few  months  he  removed  to  Cook 
county.  111.,  being  there  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. On  leaving  Illinois  he  came  to  Bloom- 
field  township,   Waushara  Co.,    Wis.,    and 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOOBAPmCAL   RECORD. 


83 


having  sold  his  property  purchased  land  ly- 
ing in  Sections  16,  21  and  22,  all  of  which 
was  in  its  primitive  condition.  He  was  very 
kind  to  the  pioneers  of  his  own  nationality, 
often  buying  land,  which  he  would  sell  to 
them  on  time.  The  year  after  his  arrival 
in  the  county  he  married  Miss  Abraham,  a 
daughter  of  Martin  Abraham,  who  had  come 
to  America  with  her  parents  and  grand- 
mother, and  located  in  Bloomfield  town- 
ship, where  the  latter  died  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-four  years. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Solomon 
Mundinger  had  a  very  small  clearing  made 
upon  his  land  and  a  log  house  erected,  in 
which  they  began  their  domestic  life,  but 
the  farm  is  now  numbered  among  the  best 
in  this  section  of  the  State.  He  was  ever 
a  prominent  and  leading  citizen  of  the  com- 
munity, being  instrumental  in  securing  many 
public  improvements  which  were  for  the 
good  of  the  locality,  and  served  in  nearly 
all  the  township  offices.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  his 
neighborhood,  and  many  of  the  early  meet- 
ings were  held  at  his  home.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Bloomfield  township,  January  16, 
1886,  and  there  his  remains  are  now  in- 
terred. No  man  in  the  community  was 
more  widely  or  favorably  known,  and  his 
memory  will  long  be  cherished  by  the  peo- 
ple of  the  township  and  county  generally. 
Mrs.  Mundinger  still  lives  on  a  part  of  the 
old  homestead,  and  has  now  reached  the 
age  of  fifty-five  years.  In  the  family  were 
nine  children — Ferdinand  and  William,  both 
deceased;  Fred,  a  carpenter  of  Manawa, 
Waupaca  county;  William,  who  is  living  on 
the  home  farm  in  Bloomfield  township; 
Gustaf  Adolph,  deceased;  Adelina,  wife  of 
Gustave  Bartel,  a  farmer  of  Bloomfield 
township;  Gustave  S.,  our  subject;  Henry 
R. ,  a  teacher  of  New  London,  Wis.,  and 
Julia,  deceased. 

Rev.  Mr.  Mundinger  obtained  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  common  schools,  but 
at  the  age  of  seven  years  he  entered  a  Ger- 
man school  three-and-a-half  miles  distant 
from  his  home,  and  when  fourteen  he  entered 
Concordia  College,  Milwaukee,  where  betook 
a  four-years'  course.  For  the  following  two 
years    he    continued    his   studies    in     Fort 


Wayne,  Ind.  .after  which  he  became  a  student 
in  Concordia  Seminary,  St.  Louis,  where  he 
took  a  three-years'  course,  this  completing 
his  literary  education.  His  first  pastorate 
was  at  Manawa,  Waupaca  county,  where  he 
still  remains,  having  served  the  congregation 
there  since  August  2,  1 891,  on  which  day  he 
was  ordained  and  installed  as  a  minister  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  His  congregation 
now  numbers  150  families,  including  100 
voting  members.  He  is  well  liked,  not 
only  by  the  people  of  his  own  Church,  but 
of  other  denominations  as  well,  and  he 
has  gained  the  love  and  confidence  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  He 
belongs  to  the  Wisconsin  District  of  the 
Missouri  Synod. 

On  May  12,  1892,  Rev.  Mr.  Mundinger 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clara 
Behrens,  daughter  of  Carl  and  Margaret 
(Conrad)  Behrens,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
on  their  arrival  in  the  New  World  located 
at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  To  this  union  has  come 
one  child — Carl  S.,  born  February  i,  1894. 
Rev.  Mr.  Mundinger  takes  no  active  part  in 
political  affairs,  giving  his  support  to  no  par- 
ticular party,  but  leaves  himself  free  to  vote 
for  the  man  he  thinks  best  qualified  to  fill 
the  office 


JOSEPH  RAYMOND.  Had  Charles 
Dickens  had  a  knowledge  of  the 
wrongs  and  privations  suffered  by 
Joseph  Raymond  during  the  latter's 
boyhood  and  youth,  he  might  have  written 
a  story  as  deep  in  pathos,  as  grand  in  its 
lessons,  as  any  which  the  world  yet  delights 
to  read.  Unlettered  and  unlearned,  the 
simple-hearted  boy  had  in  his  nature  a  native 
pride  of  character  that  starvation  could  not 
have  subdued,  a  robust  determination  to  be 
truthful  and  independent  that  withstood 
the  fiery  trial  of  many  years.  Sub- 
limely his  rugged,  honest  nature  has  been 
preserved  within  him,  and  glorious  has  been 
the  victory  he  has  achieved. 

Joseph  Raymond  is  now  a  wealthy  farmer 
of  Stockton  township,  Portage  county.  He 
was  born  in  Canada  about  the  year  1835, 
son  of  Joseph  Raymond,  a  native  of  that 
land,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  man  of 


84 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


unsteady  habits,  wealthy  at  one  time,  but 
later  in  life  plunged  in  poverty.  The  mother 
died  at  Montreal  when  Joseph  was  about 
eight  years  old,  the  eldest  of  four  children. 
The  three  sisters  were  Xepere,  now  married 
and  living  in  Michigan;  Lizzie,  in  Canada, 
and  Mary  Louise,  deceased.  The  father 
did  not  keep  the  family  together,  and  little 
Joe,  as  he  was  known,  saw  none  of  the 
comforts  of  home  until  after  his  marriage. 
The  support  of  one  of  the  sisters  fell  upon 
him,  and  he  began  life  for  himself  in  his 
tender  years  by  working  for  four  cents  a 
day.  He  lacked  proper  clothing  and  nour- 
ishment, but  he  was  too  proud  to  beg  and 
preferred  bleeding  feet  to  borrowed  shoes. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  his  earnings  had 
risen  to  twenty-five  dollars  per  year.  With 
a  few  dollars  he  had  saved  he  concluded  to 
come  to  Grand  Rapids,  Wis. ,  where  lived  a 
family  he  had  known.  His  money  was  ex- 
hausted before  he  reached  his  destination, 
and  for  four  days  and  four  nights  he  walked 
on  the  way.  Reaching  Grand  Rapids  he 
was  a  penniless,  friendless  lad.  Pushing  on 
to  Plover,  he  met  John  Boursier,  a  farmer 
of  Stockton,  who  happened  there  on  busi- 
ness, and  secured  work  with  him.  After 
three  weeks  he  grew  desperately  lonesome, 
for  he  could  not  then  speak  English,  and, 
•with  all  his  earthly  possessions  in  a  sack, 
he  walked  back  to  Grand  Rapids,  where 
several  of  his  countrymen  lived.  There  he  re- 
mained three  weeks,  but  could  find  no  work; 
he  slept  outdoors  and  procured  eatables 
wherever  he  could.  The  lumber  season 
was  opening,  and  he  hired  out  for  fifteen 
dollars  per  month,  and  worked  all  winter  in 
the  woods.  He  had  no  mittens,  and  suf- 
fered terribly  from  exposure.  Worse  still, 
his  employers  were  irresponsible  men,  and 
he  did  not  receive  a  cent  for  his  winter's 
work.  With  threadbare  clothes  he  began  to 
chop  wood  for  his  board.  Going  to  Plover 
he  again  met  John  Boursier,  and  in  April 
of  that  year  again  began  working  for  him, 
at  which  time  he  could  easily  carry  his 
clothes  under  his  arm.  For  fourteen  months 
he  remained  with  Mr.  Boursier,  and  during 
this  time  he  did  the  hardest  work  of  his  life. 
Mr.  Raymond  was  a  "  green  boy,"  as  he  ex- 
pressed  it,    and    strove    hard   to  please    his 


employer.  He  hauled  rails  to  Plover,  start- 
ing at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  reach- 
ing his  destination  before  daylight.  Though 
possessing  great  natural  strength,  and  an 
over-willingness  to  work,  he  often  over- 
taxed his  strength.  Mr.  Raymond  then 
worked  in  a  mill  at  Grand  Rapids,  and  at 
driving  team,  and  various  other  kinds  of 
employment.  He  finally  secured  work  with 
Frank  Biron,  and  it  speaks  well  for  his 
efficiency  and-steady  character  that  he  re- 
mained with  Mr.  Biron  until  his  accumulated 
wages  amounted  to  eight  thousand  dollars. 
On  May  8,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Anna  Boivin,  a  native  of  Canada,  born 
August  15,  1850,  daughter  of  Louis  Boivin, 
a  baker  by  trade.  She  was  visiting  her  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Biron,  and  there  met  her  future  hus- 
band. After  his  marriage  Mr.  Raymond 
continued  to  work  for  Mr.  Biron  until  the 
latter's  death.  During  the  winter  of  1876- 
yy  he  went  to  Canada  to  settle  up  his  large 
accounts  with  the  Biron  estate.  In  that 
country  Frank  Biron  was  "Lord  Biron." 
In  1878  Mr.  Raymond  purchased  160  acres 
in  Sections  28  and  29,  Stockton  township, 
which  he  now  occupies,  and  he  has  added 
to  it  from  time  to  time  until  the  acreage  has 
reached  400.  In  addition  to  his  farm  he 
has  large  financial  interests.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Raymond  eight  children  were  born: 
Joseph  (deceased),  Eugene,  Laura,  Arthur, 
Mary  (deceased),  Fred,  Hannah  (deceased), 
and  Frank  (deceased).  In  politics  our  sub- 
ject is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a 
representative  farmer  of  Portage  county, 
and  his  life  demonstrates  the  possibilities 
open  to  a  poor  boy  of  industry  and  pluck. 
His  good  wife  has  by  her  thrift  and  good 
management  been  of  inestimable  aid  to  Mr. 
Raymond,  and  deserves  great  credit  for  her 
devotion  and  attention  to  his  large  interests. 


M 


ORRIS  C.  HYMAN  a  prominent 
and  popular  citizen  of  Tomahawk, 
Lincoln  county,  is  a  native  of 
Prussia,  having  first  seen  the  light 
there  November  26,  1859,  in  which  country 
was  also  born  his  father,  Isaac  Hyman. 
The  latter   was    married   in   early   life,   and 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


had  a  family  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Morris  C. ,  Abe  D., 
Isaac,  Rachel,  Lena  L.  and  Sarah.  The 
mother  of  these  died  in  January,  1891.  At 
one  time  Isaac  Hyman  was  a  hotel-keeper, 
but  later  in  life  he  engaged  in  the  milling 
business,  and  at  present  he  is  the  owner  of 
a  large  gristmill.  He  visited  his  sons  in 
America  in  1893,  remaining  here  one  year, 
then  returning  to  Europe. 

The  subject  proper  of  this  sketch  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education, 
and  is  also  well  versed  in  the  Hebrew  lan- 
guage. He  came  to  America  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  and  secured  a  situation  in  a  notion 
store  in  Chicago,  111.,  where  he  remained 
one  year;  then  went  on  the  road,  selling 
jewelry,  continuing  thus  for  five  years.  In 
course  of  time  he  and  another  opened  a 
clothing  store  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  which 
they  carried  on  for  one  year,  then  sold  out, 
and  in  1883  Mr.  Hyman  located  in  Merrill, 
Lincoln  Co.,  Wis.,  and  commenced  the 
saloon  business  with  his  brother  Abe,  who 
had  joined  him.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  re- 
moved to  Tomahawk  and  opened  a  saloon, 
the  brothers  still  continuing  the  business  at 
Merrill,  both  wholesale  and  retail,  also  con- 
ducting a  similar  establishment  at  Raum, 
Wis. ,  and  they  have  been  in  business  to- 
gether ever  since  the  arrival  of  Abe  in 
America.  The  Hyman  Brothers  have  also 
dealt  quite  extensively  in  pine  lands  and 
hardwood  in  Wisconsin,  besides  owning 
city  property  at  Merrill.  In  addition  to 
their  place  of  business  at  Tomahawk,  a 
brick  store  and  other  similar  property,  they 
are  interested  in  real  estate,  in  which  they 
deal  extensively.  They  are  representative 
self-made  men  and  typical  "hustlers,"  re- 
spected for  their  honest  straightforward  way 
of  doing  business.  Morris  C.  Hyman  in 
politics  is  a  Democrat,  an  active  worker  in 
the  ranks  of  the  party,  and  was  a  delegate 
to  the  county  conventions.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  aldermen  of  Tomahawk,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1895  was  elected  mayor  of  that 
city,  the  campaign  proving  a  very  hot  one. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Lodge  at  Tomahawk.  Mr.  Hyman  has  not 
yet  enlisted  into  the  noble  army  of  Bene- 
dicts, being  still  single. 


ISRAEL  E.  BUCKNAM,  proprietor  of 
the  leading  shoe  store  in  Antigo,  and 
one  of  the  most  highly  respected  citi- 
zens of  Langlade  county,  is  a  native  of 
Maine,  born  in  Falmouth,  Cumberland  coun- 
ty, March  28,  1830,  a  son  of  Israel  and 
Mary  E.  (Morse)  Bucknam,  of  the  same 
nativity.  John  Bucknam,  father  of  Israel 
Bucknam,  Sr. ,  was  also  born  in  Maine,  and 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Israel  Buck- 
nam, Sr. ,  was  a  common  laborer,  and  he 
and  his  wife,  Mary  Bucknam,  both  died  'n 
Maine,  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely: 
Israel  E. ,  William  H.,  and  Elizabeth  E.  and 
Mehitabel  E.  (both  now  deceased). 

Israel  E.  Bucknam  commenced  as  a 
section  hand  on  a  railroad  in  the  East  when 
but  eighteen  years  old,  followed  railroading 
in  all  some  thirty  years,  and  rose  to  the 
position  of  roadmaster.  He  married  Sarah 
J.  Badger,  who  was  born  in  Maine  in  Febru- 
ary, 1830,  and  they  had  two  children: 
Louis  E.,  of  whom  special  mention  will 
presently  be  made,  and  Charles,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  two  years;  they  have  also  an 
adopted  daughter,  Alice  A.,  now  the  wife  of 
Daniel  Sweeny.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Israel 
E.  Bucknam,  Samuel  W.  and  Mary  Badger, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  farmer,  were  both 
born  in  Maine,  and  had  a  family  of  twelve 
children.  In  the  spring  of  1855  Mr.  Buck- 
nam moved  west,  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  a  short  time  near  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  and  in  1858  came  to  Wisconsin,  set- 
tling at  Watertown,  where  he  engaged  in 
railroad  work.  In  August,  1S64,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  L,  First  Wisconsin  Artillery, 
served  in  the  forts  about  Washington,  and 
was  discharged  in  1865.  On  account  of  his 
health  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  railroading 
in  1884,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Antigo, 
where  in  June,  18S5,  he  established  his  pres- 
ent business.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  was  a  member  of  the  city  council 
one  year;  socially,  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
K.  of  P.  and  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Louis  E.  Bucknam,  cashier  of  the 
Bank  of  Antigo,  Antigo,  Langlade  county, 
is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  in  Kenosha, 
October  19,  1869.  He  received  a  liberal 
education  at  Fort  Howard  High  School, 
also  at  Green  Bay  Business  College,   where 


86 


COMMEMORATIVE   SIOORAPBICAL    RECORD. 


he  graduated  in  1885,  in  which  year  he  came 
to  Antigo,  where  for  some  twelve  months  he 
worked  as  a  common  laborer.  In  the  spring 
of  1886  he  entered  the  Langlade  County 
Bank  as  bookkeeper,  filling  that  incumbency 
until  1 89 1,  at  which  time,  the  Bank  of  An- 
tigo having  been  reorganized,  he  associated 
himself  with  that  institution  as  a  stock- 
holder, and  soon  afterward  was  appointed 
cashier,  his  present  position. 

On  March  6,  1889,  Louis  E.  Bucknam 
was  united  in  marriage  at  Antigo  with  Miss 
Marian  McDonald,  who  was  born  near 
Prophetstown,  111.,  daughter  of .  Charles  D. 
and  Elsie  (Briggs)  McDonald,  and  a  bright 
little  daughter,  Margaret,  has  come  to  cheer 
their  home.  Politically  Mr.  Bucknam  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  chairman  of  the  county 
committee,  as  well  as  its  secretary.  So- 
cially, he  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  secretary  of  the  Chapter;  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Antigo  Fire  Department. 
He  is  a  representative,  pushing  young 
business  man,  self-made,  and  his  present 
responsible  position  is  evidence  sufficient  of 
what  pluck,  ambition  and  honest  endeavor 
will  accomplish. 


JAMES  K.  POLK  COON  (deceased). 
Prominent  among  the  names  of  the 
representative  business  men  of  Lincoln 
county,  more  especially  of  the  city  of 
Merrill,  is  found  that  of  this  gentleman,  who 
for  several  years  was  a  leader  in  the  com- 
munity, and  became  a  martyr  in  his  devo- 
tion to  his  country. 

He  was  born  September  27,  1844,  in 
West  Edmeston,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  a  son 
of  Elijah  H.  and  Prudence  C.  Coon,  the 
former  of  whom  was  also  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  born  of  Scottish  ancestry,  and 
was  a  son  of  Jabez  Coon.  The  latter  was 
one  of  five  brothers  who  came  to  America, 
settling  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y. ,  on  farms 
near  Coonsville,  in  that  county,  which  vill- 
age was  named  after  them.  Jabez  Coon 
married  Matilda  Holmes,  by  whom  he  had 
thirteen  children,  six  reaching  mature  age, 
viz. :  Elijah  H.  (the  eldest  in  the  family). 
Nelson,  Daniel,  Joshua,  Jefferson  and  Bet- 
sey, the  others  dying  when  young.     Jabez 


Coon  was  one  of  a  hardy,  robust  race,  was 
a  man  of  influence  in  his  day,  and  was  re- 
spected far  and  wide  for  his  many  good 
qualities,  as  was  also  the  entire  family.  Mrs. 
Prudence  C.  Coon,  mother  of  James  K. 
Polk  Coon,  was  an  adopted  child  (brought 
up  by  her  uncle.  Rev.  Daniel  Coon,  who 
was  a  brother  of  her  mother,  Mrs.  Nancy 
Coon  Bowler),  her  right  name  being  Prud- 
ence Coon  Bowler,  and  she  was  of  Scotch 
and  Irish  descent.  Rev.  Daniel  Coon  and 
two  other  of  her  uncles  were  noted  ministers 
of  their  day. 

Elijah  H.  and  Prudence  Coon  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  to  wit:  Fannie 
A.,  now  the  widow  of  Albert  Burdick,  and 
living  at  Merrill;  Elijah  Morgan,  also  of 
Merrill;  Cortland  J.,  deceased;  William  M., 
deceased;  James  K.  P.,  deceased,  subject  of 
sketch;  Julius  J.,  of  Toledo,  Ohio;  Mrs. 
Emma  Witter,  of  Wausau,  Wis. ;  and  Mrs. 
Alice  Champagne  Fleming,  of  Merrill.  The 
father  was  b\-  vocation  a  manufacturer  of 
and  dealer  in  furniture;  was  something  of  a 
politician,  and  held  many  prominent  public 
offices.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  charac- 
ter, well  educated,  a  leader  of  men,  enjoy- 
ing to  the  day  of  his  death  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  all  classes.  He  died  in  Delaware 
county,  N.  Y. ,  in  1853,  his  wife  surviving 
him  till  August  16,  1887,  when,  in  the  city 
of  Merrill,  she  too  passed  away. 

James  K.  Polk  Coon,  the  subject  proper 
of  this  memoir,  received  but  a  limited  edu- 
cation at  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county,  remaining  with  his  mother  up  to  the 
time  of  his  enlistment  in  the  army,  in  the 
meantime  working  out  among  the  neighbor- 
ing farmers.  He  had  a  war  record  worthy 
of  prominent  mention,  and  suffered  much 
while  in  the  service  of  the  Union.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen,  October  14,  1861,  he  en- 
listed at  Friendship.  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in 
Company  C,  Eighty-fifth  N.  Y.  V.  I.,  three 
years'  service,  and  was  honorablj-  discharged 
April  24,  1865.  He  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Yorktovvn,  V'a.,  battles  of  Williams- 
burg and  Fair  Oaks,  and  in  the  se\en-days' 
retreat.  In  the  campaign  along  the  railroad 
between  Newbern  and  Goldsboro,  N.  C, 
his  regiment  was  under  the  fire  of  the  Con- 
federates seven  days;  thence  it  proceeded  to 


■^<XP 


COMMEMORATIVE   BWGUAPUWAL    RECORD. 


87 


Plymouth,  and  was  in  the  attack  on  Fort 
Gray,  where,  after  three  days'  hard  fighting, 
the  entire  command  was  taken  prisoners, 
Mr.  Coon  along  with  the  rest.  He  was  first 
confined  in  Andersonville  and  Charleston, 
S.  C,  whence,  October  8,  1864,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  stockade  at  Florence, 
where,  on  January  9,  1865,  he  and  four 
others  ' '  made  a  break  "  for  freedom.  Their 
flight,  however,  was  soon  discovered,  and 
bloodhounds  being  put  on  their  track,  they 
were  captured  seven  days  afterward  at  the 
Little  Pee  Dee  river  and  taken  to  Wilming- 
ton, thence  to  Goldsboro,  Raleigh  and  Salis- 
bury, making  short  stops  at  each  place  till 
they  came  to  the  last  named.  On  February 
26,  1865,  the  end  of  the  struggle  being  now 
at  hand,  our  subject  and  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners  were  sent  to  Greensboro,  N.  C, 
where  they  were  paroled  and  allowed  to 
make  the  best  of  their  way  to  Wilmington, 
N.  C,  at  which  point  the  Union  forces  were 
stationed,  Mr.  Coon  arriving  there  March  i, 
1865,  whence  he  was  sent  to  Parole  Camp, 
Annapolis,  Md.,  where  he  was  laid  up  with 
fever,  brought  about  by  severe  hardships 
and  lack  of  proper  food,  etc. ;  but,  receiving 
a  furlough,  he  set  out  for  his  old  home  and 
to  his  mother,  who,  until  she  received  a  let- 
ter from  him,  written  at  Annapolis  after  his 
release  from  captivity,  thought  him  dead. 
He  reached  home  the  night  of  President 
Lincoln's  assassination. 

After  his  return  to  the  pursuits  of  peace 
Mr.  Coon  was  engaged  some  twelve  years  in 
the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese  in 
New  York  State,  and  in  1878  he  came  to 
Merrill,  his  first  employment  being  with  P. 
B.  Champagne,  merchant  and  lumberman. 
In  the  following  year  (1879)  our  subject 
went  to  Illinois,  where  he  again  took  up, 
near  Peoria,  the  cheese-manufacturing  in- 
dustry; but  in  1880  he  returned  to  Wiscon- 
sin, again  entering  the  employ  of  P.  B. 
Champagne,  having  charge  of  his  general 
store  at  Merrill.  In  December,  1884,  he 
was  appointed  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Champagne  Lumber  Co.,  which  incum- 
bency he  filled  two  years,  or  until  1886, 
when  he  attended  the  anniversary  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  held  at  San 
Francisco,  Cal.      On  Februar}'    i,    1887,  he 


took  up  the  insurance  business;  later,  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Bruce,  he  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  and  insurance  business  at  Merrill,  in 
which  he  continued  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  died  February  21,  1893,  at 
Tucson,  Ariz.,  whither  he  had  gone  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health.  He  was  a  public- 
spirited,  generous-hearted  and  whole-souled 
man,  one  who  made  many  friends,  who 
deeply  mourned  the  taking  away,  in  the 
prime  of  life,  of  a  good  man.  He  left  a 
sorrowing  widow  and  two  children,  mention 
of  whom  will  be  made  further  on.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  zealous  Democrat,  but  no  office- 
seeker,  and  though  often  urged  to  accept 
office  invariably  declined  the  honor,  prefer- 
ring, rather,  to  work  for  his  friends.  In  so- 
cial affiliations  he  was  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  always  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Order,  and  he  was  also  promi- 
nent in  the  G.  A.  R.,  having  served  Lincoln 
Post  No.  131,  at  Merrill,  as  commander,  and 
was  junior  vice-commander  during  the  in- 
cumbency of  General  Weissert,  as  com- 
mander of  the  State  department.  He  was 
also  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Lucius 
Fairchild  during  the  years  1886  and  1887, 
up  to  his  decease — in  fact  he  ever  took  a 
most  active  interest  in  the  G.  A.  R. ,  and  was 
a  zealous,  untiring  worker  in  its  interests. 

On  December  5,  1865,  Mr.  Coon  was 
married  to  Miss  Alice  Vilmina  Withey,  who 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Wirt,  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Allegany  county,  N.  Y.,  March 
9,  1849,  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine 
(Mover)  Withey,  who  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  viz. :  Mary,  Caroline,  Sarah, 
Alvira,  Alice  V.,  Jennie  and  Helen.  The 
father  of  these  children  was  born  in  Otsego 
county,  N.  Y. ,  in  1807,  and  died  in  western 
Allegany  county,  N.  Y.,  in  January,  1879; 
he  was  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Lydia  Withey, 
who  had  four  children:  Alva,  Eliza,  George 
and  Harriet.  Stephen  Withey  was  born 
about  the  year  1769,  and  lived  to  be  ninety- 
two  years  of  age.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Alice  V.  Coon  was  born  in  Germany  July 
22,  1 82 1,  and  died  April  15,  1893,  at  Boli- 
var, Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  she  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Mary  Moyer,  farming  peo- 
ple, who  had  a  family  of  eight  children, 
named     respectively:      Caroline,     Dorothy, 


88 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Elizabeth,  Mary,  Jacob,  John,  Catherine  and 
Louis,  all  born  in  Germany.  The  parents 
came  with  their  family  to  America  about 
the  year  1833  on  account  of  the  father's 
health,  and  decided  to  remain;  but  he  did 
not  long  survive  his  arrival  in  the  New 
World.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coon  have  been 
born  two  children:  Mamie  Genevieve, 
born  in  Richburg,  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y. , 
March  2 1 ,  1 870,  married  to  Herman  Charles 
Wolff  (sketch  of  whom  follows) ;  and  Georgia 
Prue,  born  in  Merrill,  Wis. ,  September  24, 
1880,  and  entered  Kemper  Hall  school  at 
Kenosha,  Wis.,    on   her  fifteenth  birthday. 

Herman  Charles  Wolff  was  born  in 
Grossborkenhagen,  Germany,  August  3, 
i860,  a  son  of  Gottlieb  and  Caroline 
(Kluetz)  Wolff,  who  were  the  parents  of 
four  children — Herman  C. ,  Edward  J., 
Willy  J.  and  Mary  A.  The  father  of  these, 
who  was  an  agriculturist,  came  to  the 
United  States  and  landed  in  New  York  City 
July  7,  1869.  He  settled  on  a  farm  in  Win- 
nebago county.  Wis.,  although  he  was  not 
dependent  on  farming  for  a  living,  as  he  was 
a  man  of  means  when  he  came  to  this 
country.  On  August  16,  1876,  the  family 
moved  into  the  village  of  Jenny  (now  city 
of  Merrill),  and  here  the  father,  who  was 
born  March  31,  1810,  died  August  20,  1891, 
and  the  mother,  born  June  15,  1832,  is  yet 
living.  He  had  been  twice  married,  the 
children  by  his  first  wife  being  Tena,  Au- 
gust, Carl  and  Caroline. 

Herman  C.  Wolff  received  a  liberal  ed- 
ucation at  the  district  schools  of  Winnebago 
county,  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  coming 
to  Jenny  (now  Merrill).  He  then  entered 
his  uncle's  store,  clerking  there  some  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1879,  he 
went  to  Milwaukee,  where  he  filled  the  po- 
sition of  bookkeeper  for  a  wholesale  com- 
mission house  some  eighteen  months.  Re- 
turning to  Merrill,  he  was  employed  in  de- 
partment stores  until  1888,  at  which  time 
he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  circuit  court, 
serving  two  years,  and  then,  in  association 
with  a  partner,  conducted  a  grocery  busi- 
ness. On  February  20,  1893,  he  entered 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Merrill  as  book- 
keeper, his  present  position,  which  he  is 
filling  with  characteristic  ability  and  fidelity. 


JOSEPH  THOMAS  is  the  proprietor  of 
a  fine  hotel  in  Marshfield,  and  a  repre- 
sentative business  man.      As  he  has  a 

wide  acquaintance  in  the  city  we  feel 
assured  that  the  record  of  his  life  will  prove 
of  interest  to  many  of  our  readers,  and  gladly 
give  it  a  place  in  this  volume.  He  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Teller,  Prussia,  October 
10,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Urborn  Thomas, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  place  June  29, 
1809.  By  trade  he  was  a  cooper,  and  he 
possessed  considerable  musical  ability,  com- 
ing of  a  family  of  musicians.  He  was  one 
five  brothers,  intelligent  and  highly-educated 
men,  two  of  the  number  engaging  in  school 
teaching.  The  names  of  the  members  of 
the  family  are  Cornelius,  Jacob,  John,  Sy- 
billa,  Elizabeth  and  Anna  Maria.  The  eld- 
est brother  has  two  sons  who  became  Catho- 
lic priests,  and  John  A.  also  has  a  son  who 
is  a  priest. 

Having  arrived  at  years  of  maturity,  the 
father  of  our  subject  was  married,  in  1837, 
to  Anna  Maria  Holesmir,  and  ere  leaving 
their  native  land  they  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Joseph,  Anna,  John, 
Sophisand  Sybilla.  After  coming  to  America 
their  family  circle  was  increased  by  the  birth 
of  Anton,  Fidelia,  Jacob  and  Peter.  They 
also  lost  three  children  in  infancy.  The 
year  1845  witnessed  the  emigration  of  the 
family  to  the  New  World,  and  they  stepped 
from  the  sailing  vessel  on  American  soil  in 
New  York  City  on  the  4th  of  July,  At  once 
continuing  their  westward  journey,  they  at 
length  reached  Washington  county.  Wis., 
the  father  securing  a  tract  of  wild  land  in 
Addison  township  when  there  were  only 
twelve  families  within  its  borders.  At  differ- 
ent times  he  was  interested  in  other  busi- 
ness ventures,  but  made  farming  his  princi- 
pal occupation  through  life,  and  he  died  in 
the  town  where  he  had  first  located,  in 
May,  1874.  His  wife,  surviving  him  a  num- 
ber of  years,  passed  away  in  November,  1891. 

The  eldest  child  of  this  worthy  couple  is 
Joseph  Thomas,  who  was  a  lad  of  only  seven 
summers  when  his  parents  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  America  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence upon  a  wild  farm,  which  he  aided  in 
bringing  under  cultivation  as  soon  as  he  was 
old  enough  to  handle  the  plow.      For  two 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


S9 


years  his  father  was  ill,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  work  for  neighborin;;  farmers  in 
order  to  support  the  family.  There  was  no 
school  in  the  new  country,  so  his  educational 
advantages  were  necessarily  limited.  He 
worked  out,  giving  his  earnings  to  his  par- 
ents until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  being 
employed  to  a  considerable  e.xtent  in  build- 
ing levees  in  the  South.  He  had  also 
learned  the  cooper's  trade  which  he  followed 
for  a  time,  and  thus  in  various  ways  did  he 
gain  a  livelihood. 

At  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  Mr.  Thomas  was  in  Little  Rock, 
Ark.,  and  was  obliged  to  run  down  the  river; 
also  walked  a  long  distance,  and  even  then 
had  trouble  in  getting  home.  Soon  after 
his  return  he  was  married  June  12,  1861, 
to  Lena  Kopf,  who  was  born  in  France  in 
1 84 1,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine 
(Buchart)  Kopf,  who  came  to  America  in 
1847,  locating  on  a  Wisconsin  farm.  Their 
family  numbered  seven  children:  Lena, 
Sophia,  Frances,  Michael,  Bartell,  Adam 
(deceased),  and  John.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  were  born  the  following  children: 
Anna,  Katie,  Frances,  Lena,  John,  George, 
Joseph,  Michael,  August  and  William,  who 
are  yet  living;  and  Joseph  and  William,  now 
deceased.  Upon  his  marriage  Mr.  Thomas 
rented  a  farm  and  cultivated  same  eight 
years,  when  he  purchased  another  tract  of 
land  which  he  operated  until  1884;  then 
sold  out  and  came  toMarshfield,  purchasing 
some  lots  on  which  stood  a  frame  hotel. 
There  he  began  business,  and  success  attend- 
ed his  efforts  until  June  27,  1887,  when  the 
hotel  was  destroyed  in  the  great  Marshfield 
fire.  With  characteristic  energy  he  began 
building  his  present  fine  brick  hotel,  which 
he  has  since  carried  on  with  the  exception 
of  three  years,  when  he  rented  it  to  his  son- 
in-law.  He  is  the  present  genial  and  pop- 
ular proprietor,  and  the  place  is  a  favorite 
with  the  traveling  public. 

In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Thomas  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  been  honored  with  a 
number  of  local  offices.  For  five  years  he 
served  as  supervisor  of  his  township,  and  for 
four  years  after  coming  to  the  city  held  the 
same  position,  serving  in  that  capacity  at 
the  present  time    by   appointment   from  the 


council.  His  fidelity  to  duty  is  well-known, 
and  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  ablest  officers 
on  the  board;  at  one  time  he  was  a  candidate 
for  city  assessor.  From  his  parents  he  re- 
ceived $300,  and  all  that  he  has  over  and 
above  that  he  has  accumulated  through  his 
own  efforts.  In  the  rush  and  hurry  of  business 
he  has  not  neglected  the  holier  duties  of  life, 
and  is  a  prominent  member  and  active  work- 
er in  the  Catholic  Church,  having  served  as 
a  member  of  the  building  committee  when 
the  present  fine  church  edifice  was  erected. 


M 


ARK  NEUMAN,  a  leading  and  pop- 
ular clothing  merchant  of  Antigo, 
Langlade  county,  is  a  native  of 
Wisconsin,  born  January  13,  1861, 
at  LaCrosse,  a  son  of  Simon  and  Hanchen 
(Hoffman)  Neuman,  both  natives  of  Prussia, 
the  former  born  in  1822,  the  latter  in  1839. 
The  father  of  our  subject  had  two  broth- 
ers and  three  sisters,  all  of  whom  came  to 
America  except  one  sister,  who  remained  in 
the  Fatherland  with  her  parents.  Simon 
emigrated  in  1850,  first  locating,  for  any 
length  of  time,  at  Granville,  Washington 
Co.,  N.  Y. ,  in  the  general  merchandising 
business,  having  followed  the  trade  of  hat 
and  cap  maker  in  New  York  for  a  short 
time,  at  which  he  had  previously  worked  in 
London  (England).  About  the  year  1855 
he  came  to  Wisconsin,  and  in  the  city  of 
LaCrosse  established  a  dry-goods  store, 
which  he  conducted  some  twenty-five  years, 
or  until  1881,  when  he  moved  to  Racine, 
and  there  for  four  years  carried  on  a  cloth- 
ing business.  In  1885  he  came  to  Antigo 
and  opened  out  the  clothing  establishment 
now  managed  by  his  son  Mark.  At  Mil- 
waukee, in  1859,  Simon  Neuman  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Hanchen  Hoffman,  who  was 
born  in  Prussia  in  1839,  and  came  alone  to 
this  country  in  her  girlhood.  She  has  one 
brother,  William,  living,  and  had  one  sister, 
Fredericka,  now  deceased.  Mr.  Neuman 
died  April  13,  1893,  respected  and  regretted 
by  a  wide  circle  of  relatives  and  friends;  his 
widow  now  has  her  home  in  Duluth,  Minn. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
namely:     Mark,  Rebecca  (now  Mrs,  M.  Kas- 


90 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


triner,  of  Duluth),  Louis  (in  business  at  that 
city)  and  Hulda. 

Mark  Neuman,  the  subject  proper  of 
these  Hnes,  received  his  education  at  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  place,  after 
which  he  was  employed  in  his  father's  store 
until  1890,  at  which  time  he  was  given  a 
half  interest  in  the  Antigo  business,  and 
since  his  father's  death  has  had  the  control 
and  management  of  the  entire  concern,  his 
mother  retaining  a  half  interest  in  the  same. 

On  May  2,  1894,  our  subject  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Ida  DeLee,  of  Chi- 
cago, who  was  born  at  Cold  Spring,  on  the 
Hudson,  New  York  State,  daughter  of  Mor- 
ris fa  wholesale  clothier  in  Chicago)  and 
Dora  DeLee,  natives,  the  father  of  Poland, 
the  mother  of  Germany.  They  have  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  viz.:  Solomon  T. , 
Charles,  Abraham,  Joseph,  Augusta,  Ida, 
Nettie  and  Anette.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neu- 
man has  been  born  one  child,  named  Ruth 
Hertha.  In  his  political  preferences  our 
subject  is  a  Republican;  socially,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  K.  of  P., 
in  which  latter  order  he  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  lodge  at  Antigo,  and  is  master  of  the 
exchequer. 


JOSEPH  GAUTHIER,  of  Keshena,  Sha- 
wano county,  was  born  August  18,  181 8, 
at  Rock  Island,  111.,  and  is  nearly  a 
full-blooded  Menominee  Indian.  His 
father's  name  was  Shaw-nah-wah-quah-hah, 
and  his  mother's  name  was  Sho-sha-quaer, 
a  daughter  of  Kanote,  who  was  a  sub-chief 
and  a  brother  of  Tomah,  the  head  chief  of 
the  tribe,  and  a  noted  Indian  of  his  time. 
Both  Kanote  and  Tomah  had  some  white 
blood  in  their  veins  from  a  distant  ancestor. 
Mr.  Gauthier's  Indian  name  was  Mah- 
chickeney,  and  he  was  an  only  son.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  and 
his  mother  afterward  married  Antoine  Gau- 
thier,  an  employe  of  the  American  Fur 
Compay,  who  were  extensive  traders  with 
the  Indians  all  over  the  Northwest.  Antoine 
Gauthier  remained  with  this  company  for 
about  thirty-five  years.  He  then  went  to 
farming  in  Henry  county.  111.,  where  he  re- 
mained  until    his   family  grew   up  and  were 


scattered,  when  he  went  to  Kansas  and  died 
in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  September,  1856. 
After  his  mother's  second  marriage,  Mr. 
Gauthier  took  his  step-father's  name,  which 
he  still  retains.  By  the  second  marriage  of 
Mr.  Gauthier's  mother,  children  were  born 
as  follows:  Antoine,  who  for  many  years 
was  interpreter  for  the  Sacs  and  Fox  Indi- 
ans, but  afterward  married  a  daughter  of 
Muck-Kunth,  the  chief  of  the  Chippewa  and 
Munsee  tribe;  he  died  in  1875.  Louis  also 
married  into  the  same  tribe  and  family  as 
his  brother,  Antoine,  and  died  in  1892;  Frank, 
who  married  into  the  same  tribe,  died  in 
1870;  John,  who  married  into  the  Sacs  and 
Fox  tribe,  was  a  farmer  near  Rock  Island, 
111., all  his  life,  and  died  there  in  1845;  Susan 
married  a  half-breed  Menominee,  is  still 
living,  and  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Gauthier's 
wife  has  been  his  housekeeper;  Margaret 
married  a  son  of  Muck-Kunth,  the  chief  of 
the  Chippewa  and  Munsee  Indians;  she  died 
in  1862,  and  her  husband  in  1888. 

Joseph  Gauthier's  younger  days  were 
spent  in  the  vicinity  of  Rock  Island,  111.,  and 
he  received  some  education  by  attending  the 
primitive  schools  of  that  period,  and  from 
what  the  officers  of  the  fort  taught  him, 
which  he  improved  as  he  grew  older.  In 
his  boyhood  days  he  knew  Gen.  Harney, 
Gen.  Scott,  Gen.  Banks,  and  other  officers 
who  became  noted  soldiers  later  on,  and  was 
always  a  favorite  with  the  officers  and  sol- 
diers at  the  fort.  Mr.  Gauthier  was  four- 
teen years  old  at  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  and  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  stir- 
ring times  of  that  period.  He  was  enrolled 
with  the  militia  and  carried  a  musket  with 
the  balance,  but  being  young  was  not  sent 
into  the  field.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
lumber  boys  of  the  State,  working  for  several 
years  on  Black  river  for  D.  B.  Seers  &  Co., 
of  Moline,  111.  In  1850  he  rejoined  his  tribe, 
who  were  located  at  Poygan,  Wis.,  a  few 
miles  above  Oshkosh.  After  working  on  a 
boat  on  Fox  river  one  season  he  was  given  a 
position  in  the  government  blacksmith  shop 
conducted  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians  at 
Winneconne.  In  1852  the  Menominees 
were  removed  on  to  their  present  reservation 
in  Shawano  county,  and  Mr.  Gauthier  came 
with    them   and    continued    to  work  in   the 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


blacksmith  shop.  Shortly  afterward  he  was 
appointed  the  boss  of  the  shop  at  $40  a 
month,  which  was  large  wages  for  those 
days,  and  he  continued  in  that  position  until 
1857,  when  he  was  appointed  the  official  in- 
terpreter for  the  tribe,  which  position  he 
held  until  i860,  when  a  change  of  agents 
took  place,  and  for  political  reasons  he  was 
removed.  He  then  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Keshena  under  the  firm  name 
of  Gauthier  &  Upham,  his  f)artner  being 
Charles  M.  Upham,  of  Shawano,  Wis.,  who 
is  a  brother  of  the  present  governor  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Gauthier  continued  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  until  1866,  when  he  was 
again  appointed  interpreter,  which  place  he 
has  held  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of 
about  one  year  and  a  half. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Gauthier  was 
an  enthusiastic  Union  man,  and  if  he  could 
have  arranged  his  business  matters  satisfac- 
torily would  have  been  to  the  front  with  his 
musket.  As  it  was,  he  encouraged  enlist- 
ments among  the  Indians,  and  was  the  prime 
mover  in  raising  Company  K,  Thirty-seventh 
Wis.  V.  I.,  paying  the  expenses  of  trans- 
porting the  company  to  Madison,  and  sup- 
porting many  of  the  families  of  the  men  who 
enlisted.  He  accompanied  the  company  to 
Madison,  and  was  appointed  special  quarter- 
master for  the  services  he  had  rendered.  It 
is  well  enough  to  say  here  that  Company  K, 
Thirty-seventh  Wis.  V.  I.  were  all  Indians 
but  two.  They  were  mustered  into  service 
June  27,  1864.  On  July  31,  1864,  they 
were  in  the  front  of  Petersburg,  and  were 
caught  in  the  explosion  of  the  mine  cele- 
brated in  the  history  of  that  fight,  and  nine- 
teen of  the  company  were  killed,  and  several 
others  wounded. 

In  1852  Joseph  Gauthier  was  married  to 
Mary  Ann  Mo-sha-quah-toe-kiew,  whose 
father  died  when  she  was  a  small  child. 
They  had  one  child,  Frank,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gauthier  adopted  a 
small  boy,  and  brought  him  up  as  their  son. 
His  name  is  Joseph  F.  Gauthier,  and  he  is 
now  a  prosperous  merchant  and  lumberman, 
and  resides  at  Keshena,  Wis.  Mrs.  Gauthier 
died  July  12,  1892,  when  about  sixty-seven 
years  old,  loved  and  respected  by  all. 

Joseph    Gauthier    is   a  member    of    the 


Catholic  Church,  and  a  regular  attendant. 
Although  he  is  partly  blind,  he  retains  all 
his  mental  faculties,  and  is  respected  and 
held  in  high  esteem  both  by  the  Indians  and 
whites.  The  present  Chief  of  the  Menomi- 
nees  is  Ne-oh-pet,  a  son  of  the  celebrated 
chief,  Oshkosh.  Ne-oh-pet,  Chickeney  and 
Nah-tah-wah-pah-my  are  the  present  judges 
of  the  Indian  court,  and  try  all  Indian  cases 
arising  on  the  reservation.  Mr.  Gauthier 
acts  as  interpreter  for  the  court.  The  de- 
cisions of  this  court  are  so  pure  and  just 
that  many  white  judges  could  learn  a  lesson 
from  them  in  equity  and  justice. 


JUDGE  MUNSON  M.  ROSS,  of  Lang- 
lade county,  was  the  first  attorney  in 
the  county,  and  is  now  serving  as  mu- 
nicipal judge.      He  is  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, born  in  Manitowoc,  August  22,  1853, 
and  is  a  son  of  Norris  and  Eliza  (Edwards) 
Ross. 

Norris  Ross  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Windsor,  Hartford  Co.,  Conn.,  in  18 16.  His 
father,  who  was  a  farmer,  removed  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  when  Norris  was  a  two-year-old 
child.  The  latter  left  home  when  about  six- 
teen years  old,  and  going  to  Milwaukee 
worked  at  carpentering  and  ship-building. 
Later  he  came  to  Manitowoc,  and  in  1836 
built  the  first  vessel  ever  constructed  there, 
and  which  was  named  the  "Citizen."  He 
was  here  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Edwards, 
who  was  born  in  Monmouth  county,  N.  J., 
December  30,  1830,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Amy  (Johnson)  Edwards,  whose  fami- 
ly comprised  the  following  children:  Henr}', 
Daniel,  Joseph,  Perry,  Eliza,  Gertrude, 
Phcebe,  Jennie  and  Emma.  The  father  was 
a  lake  captain  for  many  years,  owning  and 
sailing  his  own  vessels;  he  served  in  the  Civil 
war.  His  sons  are  all  sailors.  Mr.  Ed- 
wards died  in  1866,  his  wife  in  1887.  Norris 
Ross  also  sailed  the  lakes  for  some  years, 
owning  and  sailing  his  own  vessels.  He  is 
still  living  at  a  good  old  age,  and  makes  his 
home  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs. 
Ross  died  April  30,  i88r.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children  as  follows:  Ella, 
now  Mrs.  George  H.  Hoffman,  of  Antigo;  Jes- 
sie, Mrs.  Albert  Ross,  also  residing  in  Anti- 


92 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


go;  Julia,  who  married  C.  Deda,  of  Kewau- 
nee, and  is  deceased;  lone,  who  married 
Richard  Hampton,  a  farmer,  and  resides  in 
Langlade  county;  and  Munson  M.,  who  is 
the  second  child  in  order  of  birth. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Manitowoc,  and  learned  the  trade 
of  a  printer,  at  which  he  worked  some  seven 
years,  one  year  of  that  time  on  the  Milwau- 
kee Sentinel.  He  was  then  obliged  to  give 
up  work  for  two  years  on  account  of  his 
health.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  Mr.  Ross, 
having  decided  to  study  law,  entered  the 
office  of  H.  G.  and  W.  J.  Turner.  Here  he 
remained  about  four  years,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1881,  and  in  July  of  that  year 
came  to  Antigo,  and  opened  an  office,  being, 
as  already  stated,  the  first  attorney  to  take 
up  his  residence  in  Langlade  county.  He 
had  practiced  here  only  one  year,  when  he 
was  elected  register  of  deeds,  and  held  that 
office  four  years,  succeeding  R.  G.  Webb, 
who  was  the  first  man  to  hold  that  office  in 
the  county.  Hs  was  then  elected  mayor, 
and  after  his  term  expired  he  moved  on  his 
farm  near  Antigo,  where  he  remained,  how- 
ever, only  eight  months.  Then  he  came 
back  to  the  city,  and  purchased  a  hardware 
store,  which  he  carried  on  for  two  years, 
when  he  sold  out,  and  built  a  sawmill  near 
his  farm.  This,  however,  proving  a  financial 
failure,  he  again  moved  onto  his  farm,  where 
he  lived  one  year. 

In  the  spring  of  1895  Mr.  Ross  was  elect- 
ed municipal  judge  of  the  county,  and  now 
resides  in  Antigo.  Judge  Ross  was  married, 
in  1 88 1,  to  Sarah  J.  Edwards,  who  was 
born  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  December 6,  1857, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Jones)  Ed- 
wards, one  of  eight  children,  whose  names 
are:  Sarah  J.,  Anna,  Maggie,  Laura,  Mattie, 
Thomas,  Robert  and  John.  Her  parents, 
who  were  natives  of  Wales,  came  to  Ameri- 
ca when  young,  and  were  married  in  Mil- 
waukee. Her  father  was  a  sailor,  first  on 
the  ocean,  and  afterward  on  the  lakes,  and 
is  now  living  at  Two  Rivers,  Wis.  Her 
mother  died  in  February,  1895.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Judge  Ross  and  his 
wife,  Thomas  M.,  Anieta  and  Munson  M. 
The  judge  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  an  act- 
ive worker.      He  has  been  a  member  of  the 


school  board  ever  since  coming  to  Antigo, 
and  takes  a  great  interest  in  educational 
matters.  He  is  identified  with  the  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  and  K.  of  P. 


HERMAN  A.  HERMANSON,  one  of 
the  extensive  landowners  and  lum- 
bermen of  Tola,  Waupaca  county, 
was  born  September  19,  185 1,  in 
Norway,  son  of  Herman  Hermanson,  who 
was  a  mill  employe  in  that  country.  Our 
subject  also  had  one  sister  born  in  Norway, 
Christina,  now  Mrs.  Goodman  Amanson,  of 
lola,  and  one  born  in  America,  Annie,  now 
Mrs.  Carl  Hagen,  of  Helvetia  township, 
Waupaca  county. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  the  father,  accom- 
panied by  the  mother  and  two  children, 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  being  eleven  weeks  in 
making  the  voyage,  and  landed  at  Quebec, 
Canada.  Their  destination  was  Winnebago 
county.  Wis. ,  whither  they  came  by  way  of 
Buffalo  and  the  lakes.  The  father  kept  a 
store  at  Winneconne  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
but  his  capital  was  quite  small,  being  limited 
to  what  he  could  realize  from  the  sale  of 
such  possessions  as  he  had.  In  the  fall  of 
1853  the  family  arrived  in  Waupaca  county, 
locating  in  Scandinavia  township,  where  a 
great  many  of  their  countrymen  resided, 
which  fact,  and  the  cheapness  of  the  land, 
proved  a  great  attraction.  The  father  there 
purchased  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section 
3,  which  was  quite  wild,  with  very  little 
clearing  done,  and  a  few  rude  improvements. 
To  make  a  farm  of  it  required  much  labor, 
but  although  not  experienced  in  farming, 
Mr.  Hermanson  was  strong  and  robust,  and 
the  thoughts  of  owning  a  home  inspired  him. 
Work  was  plentiful,  but  at  first  progressed 
slowly,  yet  as  he  became  more  accustomed 
to  his  new  calling  he  made  better  headway. 
The  place  was  at  last  free  from  debt,  and  he 
added  to  his  possessions  until  at  one  time  he 
owned  260  acres  of  good  land.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  upon  the  farm  until  1885, 
when  he  removed  to  lola,  there  living  re- 
tired until  his  death,  which  occurred  March 
19,  1892;  his  good  wife  had  preceded  him  to 
the  final  rest,  dying  March  19,  1889,  and  as 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


93 


his  birth  had  occurred  August  2,  1819,  and 
her's  on  August  8,  18 16,  each  was  seventj-- 
three  years  old  at  the  time  of  decease.  They 
now  He  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Scan- 
dinavia. The  father  was  large,  being  six 
feet  tall,  was  an  industrious,  hard-working 
man,  and  entirely  self-made.  Politically  he 
was  first  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic 
party,  until  Abraham  Lincoln's  candidacy, 
when  the  Republican  platform,  with  its 
patriotic  planks,  seemed  to  please  him,  and 
thereafter  always  found  in  him  a  warm  friend, 
stanch  supporter  and  regular  voter,  as  well 
as  a  faithful  servant  in  minor  township  of- 
fices. He  also  held  the  position  of  school 
trustee.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  to  which  his  family  also 
belonged,  and  helped  to  erect  the  first  house 
of  worship  for  that  denomination  in  Scandi- 
navia, to  which  he  was  always  a  liberal  con- 
tributor. 

The  common  schools  afforded  Herman 
A.  Hermanson  his  literary  education.  His 
first  teacher  was  Amelia  Ingersol,  in  District 
No.  3,  Scandinavia  township,  Waupaca 
county,  the  primitive  school  house  furnished 
with  old-fashioned  benches  for  seats,  and 
other  furniture  in  keeping.  The  terms  were 
short,  and  poorly  conducted,  and  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  left  the  school  room  in  order 
to  give  his  whole  time  to  farm  work,  which 
he  has  always  assisted  in  from  mere  child- 
hood. At  the  age  of  seven  years  he  helped 
take  the  wheat  to  Waupaca,  and  the  flour 
to  Weyauwega,  all  being  done  with  oxen, 
which  he  could  lead.  Wheat  was  the  main 
crop  in  those  days,  and  the  father  raised  as 
much  as  700  bushels,  thirty  to  the  acre  be- 
ing nothing  unusual,  fn  hauling  flour  to 
Weyauwega  they  would  start  at  2  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  with  cattle,  make  the 
round  trip  in  a  day,  the  price  per  bushel  re- 
ceived for  wheat  being  so  small  that  they 
could  not  afford  the  hotel  expenses  over 
night.  Mr.  Hermanson  remained  on  the 
home  farm  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Thompson  &Howen,  of  Amherst,  Wis.,  as  a 
clerk,  remaining  with  them  some  eight 
months,  when  the  firm  changed,  and  he  re- 
turned home.  Later  he  was  again  em- 
ployed by  Mr.  Howen,  with  whom  he  worked 


six  months.  In  1875,  while  looking  up  pine 
lands  in  Township  26,  Range  10,  Waupaca 
county,  he  was  accidentally  shot  through  the 
hip,  causing  a  wound  which  kept  him  from 
business  for  two  years,  and  represented  quite 
a  loss,  as  in  those  days  valuable  pine  tim- 
ber was  being  located  all  over  northern  Wis- 
consin, and  he  was  prevented  from  partici- 
pating in  the  hunt. 

On  October  7,  1885,  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Hermanson  and  Clara  Hoyerd  was  cel- 
ebrated in  the  Lutheran  Church,  of  Scan- 
dinavia. She  was  born  in  Scandinavia 
township,  Waupaca  county,  Februry  27, 
1866,  daughter  of  O.  P.  Hoyerd.  After 
their  marriage  the  young  couple  lived  for 
some  time  with  his  parents,  and  when  the 
latter  removed  to  Tola  he  took  entire  charge 
of  the  farm,  though  he  had  for  some  time 
previous  been  the  mainstay  of  the  place. 
Mr.  Hermanson  continued  to  follow  farming 
here,  but  in  the  fall  of  1889  he  bought  an 
interest  in  a  flouring-mill  at  Scandinavia,  in 
connection  with  the  Sither  Brothers  &  John 
Wrolstad,  who  sold  their  interest  to  the 
firm,  continuing  as  Wrolstad  &  Hermanson 
until  the  following  spring,  when  our  subject 
sold  his  interest  and  returned  to  his  farm. 
Here  he  continued  to  carry  on  agricultural 
pursuits  until  October,  1890,  when  he  be- 
came interested  in  a  general  store  in  Scan- 
dinavia with  Carl  Peterson,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Peterson  &  Hermanson,  they  hav- 
ing purchased  the  stock  of  N.  I.  Nelson. 
This  business  Mr.  Hermanson  followed  un- 
til June  24,  1 89 1,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
interest,  and  bought  pine  lands  in  Helvetia 
and  Wyoming  townships.  At  the  same 
time  he  started  a  mill,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued the  lumber  business  with  good  suc- 
cess, purchasing  the  pine  on  almost  nine 
hundred  acres.  He  yet  retains  eighty  acres 
of  the  home  place,  as  well  as  280  acres  in 
lola  and  Scandinavia  townships,  Waupaca 
county,  and  he  also  owns  a  house  and  lot  in 
lola  besides  his  place  of  business. 

While  not  an  office-seeker,  Mr.  Her- 
manson takes  considerable  interest  in  polit- 
ical matters,  always  casting  his  ballot  in 
support  of  the  Republican  party,  and  for 
six  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the   Lutheran 


94 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOORAPUICAL    RECORD. 


Church,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees, 
and  socially  he  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Lodge  at  lola.  No.  282.  He  is  exceedingly 
generous  and  benevolent  in  nature,  and  in 
the  last  ten  years  has  lost  some  $5,000,  going 
bail  for  friends,  and  in  other  ways.  He  is 
numbered  among  the  foremost  men  of  lola, 
and  seems  destined  to  become  a  wealthy 
man.  Public-spirited  and  enterprising,  he 
has  done  much  for  the  advancement  of  the 
community,  and  is  numbered  among  her  re- 
spected citizens. 


BYRON  B.  PARK,  an  active  and  wide- 
awake attorney  at  law  of  Stevens 
Point,  Portage  county,  is  a  native  of 
that  city,  born  October  6,  1858,  a 
son  of  the  late  Hon.  Gilbert  L.  Park.  He 
graduated  at  the  high  school  of  that  place, 
and  afterward,  in  1876,  entered  the  Wiscon- 
sin State  University  at  Madison,  taking  a 
special  three-years'  course  preparatory  to  be- 
coming a  law  student.  In  the  fall  of  1879 
he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Jones  &  Sanborn,  Stevens  Point,  so  con- 
tinuing until  1880,  when  he  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Law  Department  of  the  State 
University  at  Madison,  graduating  from  there 
in  June,  18S1,  at  which  time  he  was  also  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  He  then  moved  to  Mil- 
waukee, and  there  entered  the  office  of  Win- 
field  &  A.  A.  L.  Smith,  a  prominent  law 
firm  of  that  city,  and  with  them  remained 
one  year,  when,  owing  to  the  illness  of  his 
father,  who  was  obliged  to  go  to  California 
for  his  health,  he  returned  to  Stevens  Point, 
in  order  to  give  his  attention  to  his  father's 
business.  The  latter  dying  in  June,  1884, 
our  subject  during  the  next  two  years  was 
engaged  in  settling  up  his  father's  estate  and 
private  affairs;  then  in  the  spring  of  1886 
he  formed  a  parnership  with  Frank  B.  Lam- 
oreux,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lamoreux  & 
Park,  which  continued  until  December, 
1891,  when  J.  O.  Raymond  was  admitted 
as  a  partner,  the  firm  names  becoming  Ray- 
mond, Lamoreux  &  Park,  which  still  exists, 
Mr.  Park  as  a  rule  having  charge  of  the  trial 
branch  of  the  business,  though  each  member 
of  the  firm  is  more  or  less  actively  engaged  in 
all  departments  of  law.    Our  subject  practices 


before  all  State,  United  States  and  District 
courts,  and  is  full}'  recognized  as  one  of  the 
prominent  attorneys  of  northern  Wisconsin. 
The  firm  enjoy  a  wide  and  lucrative  clientage 
throughout  this  section  of  the  State,  and, 
probably,  have  the  most  extensive  practice, 
locally,  of  any  in  the  profession. 

Politicall)-  Mr.  Park  is  a  Democrat,  and 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  part}-;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention  held  at  Madison  in 
1888,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  ever}'  State 
Convention  since;  was  also  a  delegate  to  the 
Congressional  Conventions  held  in  1884, 
1888  and  1892.  In  1888-89  he  served  as 
city  attorney;  in  1891-92  as  mayor  of  Stev- 
ens Point;  in  1892  was  elected  district  attor- 
ney, and  is  now  (1895)  serving  as  such.  In 
February,  1892,  he  was  appointed  regent  of 
State  Normal  schools  by  Gov.  Peck,  and  was 
re-appointed  in  February,  1894.  In  every 
political  campaign  he  has  been  active  on  the 
"stump,"  his  services  always  being  in  de- 
mand and  highly  appreciated.  Socially  our 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  Blue 
Lodge,  and  of  Forest  Chapter  at  Stevens 
Point ;  also  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Phoenix  Lodge  No.  33.  On  September  29, 
1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  N. 
Wyatt,  daughter  of  William  Wyatt,  of 
Stevens  Point,  and  two  children  have  come 
to  brighten  their  home,  named  respectively: 
Gladys  and  Laurence  W. 


JOHN  RUSSELL  FLEMING.  To  the 
land  of  Scott  and  Burns  the  United 
States  is  indebted  for  many  of  her 
most  loyal,  most  progressive  and  most 
successful  of  citizens,  not  a  few  of  whom 
are  to  be  found  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 
In  this  connection  it  is  a  pleasure  to  here 
outline  the  life  of  the  gentleman  whose  name 
introduces  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Fleming  was  born  in  Lanarkshire, 
Scotland,  near  the  city  of  Glasgow,  Novem- 
ber 22,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Janet  (Mclndoe)  Fleming,  both  also  natives 
of  the  "land  of  the  heather,"  where  they 
followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  were 
highly  respected  and  esteemed  for  their 
many    virtues.      The  father  was   born  near 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


95 


Bathgate,  in  1820,  the  mother  in  Dumbar- 
tonshire, in  1825;  she  died  in  Scotland  in 
1 87 1.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, a  brief  record  ftf  whom  is  as  follows: 
John  Russell,  the  subject  of  these  lines,  is 
the  eldest;  Catherine  is  now  the  wife  of  R. 
Crum,  and  lives  in  Idaho;  Jessie  is  de- 
ceased; Peter  is  a  wool-grower  and  sheep 
raiser  in  Idaho;  William  is  in  Montana, 
Walter  in  Australia,  and  James  in  Idaho; 
Hugh  was  engaged  in  the  sheep  industry  in 
Idaho,  where,  in  1894,  he  was  killed  by 
cowboys  while  protecting  his  flock;  Agnes 
was  married  in  Scotland,  and  emigrated  to 
Australia,  where  she  died. 

John  Russell  was  the  first  of  the  family 
to  come  to  the  United  States,  the  date  of 
his  immigration  being  June  2,  1868.  The 
rest  of  them  followed  him  to  the  New 
World  soon  afterward,  except  the  father, 
who  did  not  come  till  1889,  and  he  is  now 
living  near  IMinocqua,  Vilas  county.  Our 
subject  followed  farming  some  nine  months 
in  Canada,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  his 
uncle,  Hon.  Walter  Duncan  Mclndoe,  being 
a  prominent  resident  of  Wausau,  Wis.,  he 
moved  thither,  and  for  three  years  was  em- 
ployed in  the  pineries  in  various  pursuits. 
In  1872  he  went  to  Nevada,  but  did  not  re- 
main there  long,  Idaho  appearing  to  him  to 
be  more  inviting  for  his  purposes,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  proceeded  to  that  then  Terri- 
tory. In  Idaho  he  remained  nearly  twenty 
years,  engaged  in  the  rearing  of  sheep,  cat- 
tle and  horses,  besides  extensive  farming, 
and  during  those  years  he  had  some  thrill- 
ing experiences  with  the  Indians,  Mormons, 
cowboys  and  sheep  owners,  with  all  of 
whom  he  had  considerable  business  dealings 
from  time  to  time.  For  nearly  two  years 
he  held  a  government  position  as  agent 
over  the  Bannock  and  Shoshone  Indians 
while  at  war  with  the  whites.  In  1892  he 
returned  to  Wisconsin,  and  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Merrill,  Lincoln  county. 

On  November  28,  1893,  Mr.  Fleming 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Alice  G. 
Champagne,  widow  of  Hon.  P.  B.  Cham- 
pagne. He  is  a  pleasant,  genial  gentleman, 
and  although  his  education  in  boyhood  and 
youth  did  not  extend  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  common   schools  of  his  native  county, 


Lanarkshire,  yet  by  culture  and  close  ob- 
servation of  men  and  nature  he  has  become 
a  man  of  superior  literary  attainments,  as 
is  evidenced  by  his  many  contributions  of 
poetry  and  description  to  the  public  press;  he 
is  also  a  producer  of  music  and  art  of  high 
rank.  A  lover  of  fine  horses,  he  finds  no 
enjoyment  more  congenial  or  healthy  than 
driving  some  fine  team,  and  at  the  present 
time  he  is  owner  of  a  superb  pair  of 
"blacks."  A  familiar  figure  in  the  com- 
munity, possessed  of  an  ever-cheerful  coun- 
tenance, he  has  a  smile  and  cheery  word  for 
all  whom  he  meets,  and  no  one  in  the  county 
possesses  more  fully  the  esteem,  good  will 
and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens  than  does 
John  Russell  Fleming, 


OLE  G.  FROGNER,  one  of  the  fore- 
most citizens  and  successful  business 
men  of  lola,  Waupaca  county,  is 
now  serving  as  president  of  the  vil- 
lage. He  was  born  near  Skien,  Norway, 
May  29,  1852,  and  is  asonofGunder  Frog- 
ner,  who  was  head  sawyer  in  a  mill  in  his 
native  land.  In  1872  the  father,  accom- 
panied by  his  family  of  five  children,  came 
to  the  United  States,  the  passage  being  made 
in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  occupying  seven 
weeks  and  three  days.  They  first  located  in 
New  Hope,  Portage  Co.,  Wis.,  where  a 
temporary  home  was  made  on  rented  land; 
but  soon  after  the  father  purchased  land  in 
Section  2,  Scandinavia  township,  Waupaca 
county,  and  began  farmmg  it.  This  was  the 
first  land  he  ever  owned  in  the  United 
States,  and  it  was  here  that  he  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  during  his  active  life. 
On  landing  in  this  country  he  had  limited 
means;  but  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
possessed  of  a  comfortable  amount  of  world- 
ly goods.  He  passed  away  July  2,  1886, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery, 
of  Scandinavia,  of  which  Church  he  was  a 
faithful  member.  Though  no  politician,  he 
regularly  cast  his  ballot  in  support  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party. 
His  widow  now  makes  her  home  with  our 
subject.  In  the  family  were  the  following 
children:  Louis,  of  the  firm  of  Frogner 
Brothers,  of  lola;  Olc  G. ;  Mary,  wife  of  Ole 


96 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Gordon,  of  Nelsonville,  Portage  Co.,  Wis.; 
John,  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Frogner 
Brothers;  and  Gusta. 

The  educational  advantages  which  Ole 
G.  Frogner  received  were  very  limited,  al- 
though he  learned  very  readily.  He  attended 
school  to  some  e.xtent  in  his  native  land,  but 
after  coming  to  the  New  World  most  of  his 
time  had  to  be  given  to  work  instead  of 
study.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  while 
in  the  old  country,  he  began  learning  the 
trade  of  wagon  making,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1872  commenced  work  at  his  trade  with 
Martin  Perkins,  of  Stevens  Point,  whose 
death  caused  him  to  lose  what  wages  were 
due  him,  some  seventy  dollars,  and  he  was 
thus  left  with  no  money,  having  to  borrow 
to  pay  his  board.  He  then  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  for  three  or  four  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1 877  he  bought  the  wagon  shop  of 
Harrison  Warren  at  lola,  with  whom  he  had 
previously  worked  four  months,  and  he  con- 
ducted the  business  alone  until  January, 
1878,  when  his  brother  Louis  became  a 
member  of  the  firm,  and  later  John  also  be- 
came interested  in  the  business.  In  1 884  they 
added  a  blacksmith  shop,  which  they  car- 
ried on  until  1893,  when  they  sold  to  Han- 
sen &  Johnson  Brothers,  who  had  formerly 
been  in  their  employ.  The  firm  in  1885,  in 
connection  with  their  other  business,  also  be- 
gan wagon  making  in  Scandinavia,  of  which 
our  subject  had  charge,  and  has  two  work- 
men under  him;  but  later  the  employes 
bought  out  the  business.  In  1879  they 
added  farm  implements  to  their  stock,  and 
for  four  years  also  had  a  wagon  on  the  road 
for  the  sale  of  pumps.  Their  plant  has  been 
enlarged,  and  many  new  improvements 
added,  including  an  engine,  which  was  put 
in  in  1887;  in  1890  an  Atlas  engine  and  saw 
outfit  was  added,  and  also  a  planing  depart- 
ment. In  1892  a  steam  dry-kiln  was  put  in 
operation.  Three  years  later  they  sold  out 
the  implement  business  with  the  exception 
of  the  sale  of  mowers,  binders  and  steam- 
threshing  outfits,  which  they  continue  to 
supply.  Repairing  of  machinery  and  boilers 
forms  a  part  of  their  business,  and  this 
branch  is  under  the  charge  of  John,  who  dis- 
plays great  natural  mechanical  ability.  The 
firm  of   Frogner  Brothers   is  widely  known 


in  Waupaca  county,  and  they  have  built  up 
an  extensive  and  paying  business. 

On  June  30,  1878,  Mr.  Frogner  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Christina  Pe- 
terson, of  Scandinavia,  Waupaca  county,  a 
daughter  of  Simon  Peterson,  a  leading 
farmer  of  that  community.  To  this  worthy 
couple  seven  children  were  born:  Hans  J., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  one  year  and  six 
months;  and  Hannah  J.,  Myrtle  T.,  Guj- 
S.,  Oliver  C,  Arthur  W.  and  Herbert  N.. 
all  at  home.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Frog- 
ner located  in  lola,  but  in  the  fall  of  1886 
Frogner  Brothers  purchased  the  father's 
farm,  on  which  our  subject  resided  about  a 
year,  when  he  returned  to  lola,  where  he 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1895.  At  that 
time  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  120 
acres,  near  the  village,  on  which  he  now 
makes  his  home. 

Mr.  Frogner  is  a  stalwart  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
is  one  of  its  leaders  in  the  community.  For 
ten  years  he  was  township  treasurer;  was 
the  first  treasurer  of  the  village  of  lola;  and 
in  the  spring  of  1893  was  elected  president 
of  the  village,  which  office  he  is  now  ac- 
ceptably filling.  After  serving  two  terms 
as  school  clerk  he  resigned  in  order  to  be- 
come eligible  to  bid  on  the  erection  of  a 
new  school  house.  Mr.  Frogner  is  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  be- 
longing to  lola  Lodge,  No.  282,  in  which  he 
has  filled  all  the  offices,  being  noble  grand 
in  1882.  He  often  attends  the  State  meet- 
ings of  the  Order;  has  been  State  delegate 
to  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  was  district  deputy 
grand  master  in  1890  and  1891.  Himself 
and  wife  are  charter  members  of  Rebecca 
Lodge,  No.  331,  at  lola,  and  their  religious 
connections  are  with  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Frogner  has  ever  been  an  untiring 
worker,  and  has  been  an  important  factor 
in  the  building  up  of  one  of  the  most  lead- 
ing industries  of  Waupaca  county.  His 
success  is  only  the  more  creditable  when  it 
is  considered  that  he  had  little  or  no  educa- 
tion in  English,  that  in  fact  in  his  first 
business  correspondence  he  had  to  consult 
friends  in  order  to  learn  the  contents  of  his 
letters.  Too  much  praise  can  not  be  be- 
stowed   upon    him    for  the   success   he  has 


COMMEMORATIVE    BWOEAPffWAL    RECORD. 


97 


made,  and  his  energetic  disposition  caused 
him  to  fill  a  sick  bed  for  two  years  and  a 
half,  the  result  of  overwork.  Though  many 
predicted  disaster  when  they  saw  the  firm  of 
Frogner  Brothers  adding  to  their  business, 
they  have  met  with  nothing  but  success, 
which  is  well-merited. 


CHARLES  S.  LEYKOM.  In  pre- 
senting a  record  of  the  lives  of  rep- 
resentative self-made  men  of  north- 
ern Wisconsin,  more  especially  of 
Langlade  county  and  the  city  of  Antigo,  it 
is  a  pleasure  to  include  that  of  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  is  here  given,  because  it  is 
men  of  his  caliber  who  have  made  this  com- 
paritavely  new  State  what  it  is,  and  brought 
it  to  its  present  condition  of  prosperity. 

Mr.  Leykom  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
born  in  the  city  of  Manitowoc  November 
14,  1858,  a  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Wallace) 
Leykom,  the  father  born  in  Bavaria.  Ger- 
many, in  1 807,  the  mother  in  Quebec,  Canada, 
in  1830.  The  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters 
of  John  Leykom  all  died  in  Germany, 
John,  alone,  emigrating  to  Canada.  He 
was  reared  by  an  uncle,  John  Hoffman,  and 
before  crossing  the  Atlantic  he  served  in  the 
German  army.  He  had  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  John  R.,  Harriet  (now 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Kohl),  Catherine  (now  Mrs.  G. 
W.  Hill,  of  Antigo),  Mary  Ann  and  Charles 
S. ,  are  the  only  survivors.  All  the  eleven  chil- 
dren were  born  in  Canada  except  Catherine 
and  Charles  S.,  who  are  of  Wisconsin  birth. 
The  family  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1845,  set- 
tling in  Manitowoc,  where  the  father  is  yet 
living,  and  where  the  mother  died  in  1887. 
John  R.  and  James  served  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war,  James  enlisting 
when  seventeen  years  old,  serving  eighteen 
months;  in  1868  he  was  drowned  in  the 
wreck  of  the  ill-fated  "  Seabird."  Thomas 
died  in  Manitowoc  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
Albert  when  twenty-six,  while  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  passed  away  in  infancy. 
The  mother,  Mrs.  Ann  (Wallace)  Leykom, 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Ruth  Wall- 
ace, the  former  of  whom,  a  mason  by  trade, 
died  in  Canada,  the  father  of  two  sons  and 
four  daughters,    one  son,   only,  now  living. 


Charles  S.  Leykom,  the  subject  proper 
of  these  lines,  who  is  the  youngest  in  his 
father's  family,  received  a  liberal  common- 
school  education  in  the  city  of  his  birth, 
and  when  fourteen  years  old  commenced 
learning  the  trade  of  cigar  maker,  which  he 
followed  some  eighteen  months,  but  had  to 
abandon  on  account  of  impaired  health. 
Later  he  clerked  in  a  hardware  store  in 
Manitowoc  three  years,  then  in  a  grocery 
store  one  year,  after  which  he  returned  to 
the  hardware  store  and  clerked  there  an- 
other three  years.  In  July,  1881,  he 
came  to  Antigo,  Langlade  county,  where, 
in  company  with  Mr.  John  Hessel  he  em- 
barked in  the  hardware  business,  the  firm 
(Hessel  &  Leykom)  building  their  own 
store,  the  first  of  the  kind  in  Antigo,  and 
they  have  met  with  the  success  due  to 
enterprise  and  indefatigable  energy.  At  that 
time  the  place  was  in  a  very  primitive  con- 
dition, the  nearest  railroad  station  being 
fifteen  miles  distant,  and  Mr.  Leykom  had  to 
come  on  foot  to  the  then  village  of  1 50 
inhabitants. 

In  1883  Mr.  Leykom  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Nellie  A.  Williams,  who  was 
born  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y. ,  in  1864,  daughter 
of  G.  C.  and  Alois  (Heath)  Williams,  both 
natives  of  Vermont,  who  came  to  Wiscon- 
sin in  1882,  settling  on  a  farm;  they  had  a 
family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Abbie, 
Winnie,  Nellie  A. ,  Bertha  and  Jennie  are 
living,  the  others  having  died  in  infancy. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leykom  have  been  born 
two  children:  John  W.  and  Charles  S. 
In  his  political  preferences  our  subject  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  has  served  as  member 
of  the  school  board;  socially  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  is  very  active  in 
that  Order;  in  religious  faith  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  wide-awake 
pushing  men  of  Antigo,  in  the  building  up 
of  which  young  city  he  has  always  taken 
the  deepest  interest,  and  given  substantial 
aid.  At  the  present  time  he  is  president  of 
the  Langlade  County  Bank;  treasurer  of  the 
Antigo  Electric  Light  Plant  Company;  and 
president  of  the  Agriculturial  Society,  and 
of  the  Antigo  Cemetery  Association.  He 
and  his  amiable  wife  are  proverbial  for  their 


98 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


hospitality  and  genialit\',  and  enjoy  the  well- 
merited  respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire 
community. 


JAMES  BUCHANAN  CHURCHILL  in 
point  of  residence  is  the  oldest  settler 
of  Grant  township,  Shawano  county. 
In  1857  he  purchased  from  the  Fox 
River  Improvement  Co.  a  tract  of  160  acres 
in  Section  35,  Grant  township,  distant  a 
scant  mile  from  the  present  flourishing  little 
village  of  Marion,  Waupaca  count}'.  This 
pioneer  home  was  then  under  the  territorial 
jurisdiction  of  Matteson  township,  and  in- 
cluded what  is  now  Grant,  Pella,  Matteson, 
Fairbanks  and  Split  Rock  townships.  The 
little  log  house  which  he  built  stood  in  the 
midst  of  the  dense  forests,  and  here  for 
many  years  he  lived,  a  pioneer,  when  pio- 
neers were  few,  and  when  frontier  life  meant 
hardships  and  privations  almost  innumer- 
able. 

Mr.  Churchill  was  born  in  Lock  town- 
ship, Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  in  1831,  son  of 
David  A.  and  Martha  (Buchanan)  Churchill. 
David  A.  Churchill  was  the  son  of  Daniel 
and  Marion  (Clark)  Churchill,  both  of  New 
York  nativity  and  English  ancestry.  Daniel 
Churchill  was  a  captain  in  the  Continental 
army  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in  Cayuga 
county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  a  large  land- 
owner. Miriam  Buchanan  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Miriam  (Yaeger)  Buchanan. 
John  Buchanan  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
served  during  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a 
captain  in  the  Patriot  army.  He  was  a  re- 
lative of  President  Buchanan,  and  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  living  through  life  on  a  farm 
in  Orange  county,  N.  Y.  David  A.  Churchill, 
father  of  James  B.,  was  a  currier  and  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  and  in  1845  moved  from 
Cayuga  county,  N.  Y. ,  to  Tioga  county, 
Penn.,  where  he  remained  until  1867.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  the  Wisconsin  home 
of  his  son,  and  remained  there  until  his 
death,  in  1880;  his  wife  died  in  1887.  Their 
family  of  eight  children  consisted  of  Clark 
L. ,  a  lumberman,  who  died  in  i85  5,inSimcoe 
county,  Canada  West  (now  Ontario);  James 
Buchanan,  subject  of  this  sketch;  [erome, 
of  Tioga  county,  Penn;  Wilber,  a  resident 


of  the  same  county,  who  enlisted  in  a  Penn- 
sylvania cavalr}'  regiment  and  served  three 
years;  William,  his  twin  brother,  now  a  re- 
sident of  Larrabee  township,  Waupaca  coun- 
ty, who  also  saw  active  service  in  a  Penn- 
sylvania infantry  regiment;  David,  also  of 
Larrabee  township,  Waupaca  county,  and  a 
veteran  of  a  New  York  regiment;  Daniel, 
who  died  in  Maryland  while  in  the  service, 
January  i,  1862;  and  Martha,  wife  of  Eben- 
ezer  Burley  (also  a  Union  soldier),  of  Tioga 
count}',  Pennsjlvania. 

James  B.  Churchill  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  years  accompanied  his  father's 
family  to  Tioga  county,  Penn.,  remaining 
there,  engaged  in  farm  labors,  until  the  age 
of  twenty.  In  1 851  he  went  to  Canada, 
and  there  followed  lumbering,  and  six  years 
later  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Warnick,  a 
native  of  Canada,  after  which,  with  his 
young  wife,  he  started  for  his  prospective 
home  in  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin.  The  jour- 
ney was  made  by  rail  to  Fond  du  Lac,  thence 
via  boat  to  New  London,  and  the  balance  of 
the  waj'  afoot  through  the  primeval  forests. 
There  were  then  no  roads,  and  here  in  the 
fastnesses  of  the  woods  the  hardy  and  ven- 
turesome pioneer  lived  for  years.  For  several 
years  after  their  settlement  their  only  beasts 
of  burden  were  oxen,  and  the  only  vehicle  a 
wood-shod  sleigh,  which  was  used  summer 
and  winter,  no  wagons  having  yet  been 
brought  into  the  settlement.  In  going  any 
distance  in  any  direction  streams  of  all  kinds 
had  to  be  forded.  Their  flour  was  all  bought 
at  New  London,  and  brought  by  boat  up  to 
Clintonville,  from  which  point  Mr.  Churchill 
would  bring  a  lOO-lb.  sack  on  his  shoulder 
to  his  home,  a  distance  of  ten  miles  as  the 
roads  run.  The  first  interment  in  the  adjoin- 
ing graveyard  at  Marion  was  in  1872.  In 
1864  Mr.  Churchill  enlisted  at  Menasha, 
Wis.,  in  Company  K,  First  Wisconsin  Heavy 
Artillery,  which  was  assigned  to  the  Twenty- 
second  Army  Corps  and  stationed  at  Arling- 
ton Heights  and  Ft.  Lyons,  Alexandria,  on 
garrison  duty.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  July,  1865,  and  re- 
turned to  Shawano  county.  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Churchill's  first  \\ife  died  in  July, 
1862,  and  in  September,  1865,  he  was  mar- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


99 


ried  in  Bear  Creek  township,  Waupaca 
county,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hehman,  a  lady  of 
Holland  birth,  whose  parents,  Gerhard  and 
Bertha  (Haytink)  Hehman,  emigrated  in 
November,  1856,  from  Holland  to  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  and  in  May,  1857,  settled  in 
Section  18,  Pella  township,  Shawano  county. 
Their  nearest  neighbor  then  was  fourteen 
miles  distant.  Mr.  Hehman  cut  a  road 
through  the  woods  from  a  point  two  miles 
below  Buckbee,  Larrabee  township,  Wau- 
paca county,  to  Pella,  Shawano  county,  and 
from  the  farm  to  Embarrass  village.  He 
built  a  shanty  10. \  12  feet,  and  lived  in  it 
from  May  to  November,  by  which  time  he 
had  erected  a  log  cabin,  quite  commodious 
in  comparison.  By  faithful  and  persistent 
labor  he  improved  the  farm,  and  he  died  at 
this  pioneer  home  in  1872,  his  wife  surviv- 
ing until  1879.  Their  five  children  were: 
Henrietta,  wife  of  Fred  Strausburg,  of  Mar- 
ion, Wis. ;  William,  formerly  of  Seneca,  Sha- 
wano county,  who  died  of  heart  disease  July 
4,  1895;  John,  who  died  in  Grant  township 
in  March,  1893;  Mrs.  Churchill;  and  Ger- 
hard, who  lives  in  Sugar  Bush,  Outagamie 
county. 

After  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Churchill 
settled  in  Bear  Creek  township,  and  oper- 
ated the  Welcome  Hyde  farm  for  about  five 
years.  He  then  returned  to  his  old  farm, 
which  he  improved,  and  in  1883  equipped 
with  a  good  one-and-a-half-story  dwelling 
16  X  28,  with  an  L  i6.\  16  feet,  and  having 
a  one-story  kitchen  14 x  15;  his  substantial 
barn,  an  imposing  structure  36x56  feet, 
with  18-foot  posts,  he  erected  in  1869. 
Here  Mr.  Churchill  is  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  raising  an  excellent  grade  of  stock. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  is  one 
of  the  most  public-spirited  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  the  prosperous  community  in 
which  he  lives.  In  1859  he  served  as  com- 
missioner of  Matteson  township,  and  in 
1869  he  assisted  actively  in  organizing  Grant 
township.  He  was  instrumental  in  building 
many  of  the  roads  throughout  the  township, 
and  in  various  ways  contributed  liberally  to 
the  convenience  and  welfare  of  the  tide  of 
immigrants  who  later  filled  up  this  wild  land 
and  converted  it  into  an  expanse  of  happy 
and  prosperous  homes.      In  matters  of  local 


history  Mr.  Churchill  is  an  undisputed  au- 
thority, and  none  stand  higher  than  he  in 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
Though  not  a  member  of  any  Church  or  de- 
nomination, he  has  been  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  the  different  churches  of  his 
neighborhood,  having  assisted  all  of  them 
by  donations  at  different  times,  for  their 
erection  and  afterward  in  their  support. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Shawano  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F. 


JOHN  BOURSIER,  Jr.,  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative young  farmers  of   Stockton 
township,  Portage  county,  and  one  of 
its  most  prosperous  citizens,  was  born 
August  21,  1852,  son  of  John  Boursier,  Sr., 
who  is  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  in  that 
part  of  the  county. 

The  father  was  born  in  LaPrairie,  near 
the  St.  Lawrence  river,  June  2,  18 19.  His 
father,  whose  name  was  also  John,  was  a 
farmer  in  ordinary  circumstances,  and  had 
a  large  family.  He  was  twice  married,  and 
John  is  now  the  only  surviving  child  by  the 
first  marriage.  When  fourteen  years  of  age, 
or  in  1833,  the  latter  left  home.  His  moth- 
er had  died  when  he  was  two  years  old,  and 
his  step-mother  reared  him.  The  lad  made 
his  way  westward  to  Detroit,  and  after  work- 
ing there  on  the  lakes  some  time  he  walked 
the  entire  distance  to  Chicago,  and  grubbed 
in  what  is  now  that  city.  He  was  of  a  rov- 
ing disposition  as  a  boy,  and  in  his  wander- 
ings reached  Manitowoc,  Wis.  Working 
there  four  months,  he  went  to  Green  Bay. 
Then  he  went  afoot  to  the  mining  regions 
of  Illinois  and  Iowa.  In  the  spring  he  raft- 
ed on  the  Mississippi  river  as  far  as  St. 
Louis,  and  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis.,  he 
was  sick  five  months  with  ague.  Proceed- 
ing to  Galena,  111.,  he  hired  out  to  Robert 
Bloomer,  a  lumber  operator,  and  with  three 
others  walked  thence  to  Portage  county. 
Wis.,  where  he  learned  of  certain  dissatis- 
faction in  the  lumber  country,  and  he  walked 
to  Green  Bay.  Next  proceeding  to  Wood 
county.  Wis.,  in  1839,  he  worked  in  the 
woods  until  1850.  In  1849  he  bought  eighty 
acres  in  Section  32,  of  what  is  now  Stock- 
ton township.  Portage  county,  buying  it  as 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOQRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


a  claim,  and  securing  title  for  it  and  an  ad- 
joining eighty  acres  from  the  government, 
in  1852. 

Mr.  Boiirsier  was  married,  July  26,  1847, 
at  Mill  Creek,  Wood  county,  to  Miss  Mary 
Young,  born  July  26,  1827,  in  Corina,  Me., 
and  daughter  of  Simon  and  Lois  (Knowles) 
Young,  who  in  1838  removed  from  Maine  to 
Illinois.  Miss  Young,  with  a  brother,  was 
visiting  in  Mill  Creek,  and  while  cii  route  she 
first  met  her  husband.  After  marriage  he 
lived  in  a  log  house  on  Mill  creek  until  he 
removed  to  his  farm  in  Stockton  township, 
April  18,  1850,  at  which  time  there  was  no 
building  on  the  farm  and  but  one  house  on 
"the  prairie."  Their  first  house  was  a 
shanty  12  x  16.  Mr.  Boursier  was  a  strong 
man  physically,  and  proceeded  at  once  to 
improve  the  farm.  For  forty-five  years  he 
has  lived  here,  a  longer  residence,  perhaps, 
than  anyone  else  in  the  township  can  claim. 
Starting  with  eighty  acres,  he  now  owns 
320,  well  improved.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  while  not  a  member  of  the 
Church,  attends  the  services  of  Protestant 
denomination.  Socially  he  is  a  Mason.  He 
has  met  with  many  reverses.  Twice  he  was 
burned  out.  When  the  "Old  Horicon " 
railroad  was  projected  he,  with  many  others, 
pledged  assistance;  it  cost  him  $2,000.  In 
1892  Mr.  Boursier  retired  from  active  farm 
work.  The  winter  of  1891-92  he  spent 
with  his  wife  in  California.  He  has  been  a 
self-made  man  in  the  full  sense  of  the  word, 
and  has  done  Spartan  service  in  developing 
the  material  interests  of  Stockton  township. 
He  possesses  a  rare  sense  of  personal  honor, 
and  when  his  home  was  burned  he  felt  com- 
pelled to  decline  the  generous  offers  of 
friends  to  assist  him  in  rebuilding,  prefer- 
ring to  bear  the  entire  cost  himself.  The 
children  of  John  and  Mary  Boursier  are  as 
follows:  Arvesta,  now  Mrs.  Orleziam  De- 
Rosier,  of  Stockton;  Arvilla,  now  Mrs. 
Thomas  H.  Hackett,  of  Escondido,  Cal. ; 
Zoa  J.,  now  Mrs.  Warren  Onan,  of  Buena 
Vista  township;  John,  a  farmer,  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

John  Boursier,  Jr.  has  always  lived  at 
home,  attending  the  district  schools  and  as- 
sisting his  father  until  the  latter's  retire- 
ment, several  years  ago,  since  when  he  has 


conducted  the  farm.  He  was  married,  De- 
cember 25,  1874,  at  Plover,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Baker,  born  December  3,  1857,  in 
Tioga  county.  Penn.,  daughter  of  James  H. 
and  Eliza  (Bartlett)  Baker,  who  in  1863  re- 
moved with  their  family  to  Wisconsin.  Mrs. 
Boursier  has  a  good  education,  and  before 
her  marriage  she  taught  school.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Boursier  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren— Myra  M.,  a  teacher,  born  in  August, 
1875,  no^v  attending  Normal  school;  Grace 
E. ,  also  a  teacher,  born  in  June,  1878,  a 
student  at  Stevens  Point  Normal;  Clair  J., 
born  in  April,  1880,  and  Cecil  F. ,  born 
April  30,  1885,  both  at  home.  Mr.  Bour- 
sier is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  has  Protestant 
S3'mpathies,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  He  is  an  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive farmer, .  popular  and  influential  among 
his  many  friends. 


PETER  McMILLIN,  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens  of  Stockton  town- 
ship. Portage  county,  and  an  ex- 
soldier,  is  a  native  of  the  Green 
Mountain  State.  He  was  born  in  Alburg, 
Grand  Isle  Co.,  Vt.,  September  20,  1824, 
son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  H.  fSowles)  Mc- 
Alillin. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  farmer 
and  carpenter,  comfortably  situated  in  life. 
He  was  born  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  son  of 
emigrants  from  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and 
after  learning  his  trade  at  Jersey  City  re- 
moved to  Grand  Isle  county,  Vt.,  where  he 
married  and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children, 
as  follows:  Jane,  who  married  Nathan 
Miles,  and  died  in  Vermont;  Harriet,  who 
died  when  a  young  woman;  Maria,  who  mar- 
ried Isban  Kenyon,  and  died  in  Hinesburg 
in  1894;  Philyer,  who  died  a  farmer  in  Mis- 
souri; William,  a  railway  engineer,  who  died 
at  Burlington,  Vt. ;  Peter,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Gustavus,  who  went  to  California 
during  the  gold  fever,  and  has  never  since 
been  heard  from;  Norman,  a  carpenter,  of 
Denver;  Sarah  H.,  now  Mrs.  Noel  Potter, 
of  Bombay,  Franklin  Co.,  N.  Y.  The 
father  was  an  Old-line  Whig,  and  died  in 
Vermont    at    the    age    of    sixtj'-three;     the 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPHICAL   RECORD. 


mother  died  at  the  age  of  forty.  They 
were  members  of  the  Universalist  Church. 
Peter  McMillin  was  only  eight  years  old 
when  his  mother  died.  Sisters  took  her 
place,  and  the  boy  remained  at  home  until 
he  was  eighteen.  He  received  a  district- 
school  education,  much  more  meager  then 
than  now,  and  at  his  home,  by  precept  and 
and  example,  learned  the  value  of  honesty 
and  straightforwardness.  Beginning  farm 
work  for  others  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  in 
Essex  county,  N.  Y. ,  he  several  years  later 
went  to  Tioga  county,  and  worked  for  a  few 
months  in  a  sawmill.  With  a  young  com- 
panion he  undertook  the  venture  of  getting 
out  some  timber,  but  the  failure  of  higfi 
waters  in  the  stream  which  was  to  carry 
the  lumber  to  market  made  the  enterprise 
unremunerative.  In  the  fall  of  i<S49  he  put 
into  execution  a  cherished  plan  by  coming 
west.  Traveling  by  lake  to  Milwaukee,  he 
walked  to  Oshkosh,  took  boat  for  Gill's 
Landing,  on  Wolf  river,  and  came  afoot 
through  the  woods  to  Plover.  Here  he 
found  work  teaming  goods  from  Madison  to 
Plover  for  C.  S.  Ogden,  now  a  merchant  of 
Waupaca.  In  June,  1850,  he  pre-empted 
160  acres  in  Section  32,  of  what  is  now 
Stockton  township.  The  land  was  then 
undisturbed,  and  there  were  only  three  or 
four  settlers  on  the  prairie.  There  was  lit- 
tle timber  on  the  tract,  but  burr  oak  sur- 
rounded the  site  selected  by  Mr.  McMillin 
for  his  primitive  habitation,  a  rude  shanty, 
16  x  16.  He  at  once  began  to  break  this 
land,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  No- 
vember 17,  1850,  he  was  married  at  Plover 
to  Miranda  Dimond,  born  in  Canada  Octo- 
ber I,  1820,  daughter  of  Enos  and  Miranda 
(Richmond)  Dimond,  New  Englanders  by 
birth.  Enos  was  twice  married,  and  Mi- 
randa, his  second  wife,  bore  him  six  children: 
Fannie,  Miranda,  Sanford,  Royal,  Paulina 
and  Clara.  Miranda  in  1849  came  to  Plover 
with  her  brother  Royal,  and  was  employed 
as  a  domestic  in  the  same  household  her 
husband  worked  for.  The  couple  began 
housekeeping  at  once,  in  the  little  shanty  on 
the  farm  they  still  occupy.  The  rude  habi- 
tation was  scantily  furnished,  but  the  hap- 
piest five  years  of  their  married  life  were 
spent    there.      Mr.    McMillin    improved   the 


place  during  the  summers,  and  in  the  winter 
followed  teaming.  The  present  dwelling, 
with  various  alterations  and  additions,  suc- 
ceeded the  shanty.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McMillin  were  born  these  children:  Emma 
M.,  who  was  born  October  i,  1851,  and 
married  James  Bremmer,  of  Stevens 
Point,  January  28,  1873;  Edith  S.,  born 
May  18,  1855,  married  December  25, 
1876,  to  Oscar  Drake,  of  Stevens  Point 
(she  passed  from  earth.  May  30,  1895,  her 
death  being  the  first  in  the  family);  William 
P.,  born  May  18,  1856,  a  farmer  of  Lincoln 
county.  Wash.;  Sidney  G.,  born  January  8, 
1859,  a  resident  of  Oregon;  Annie  J.,  born 
October  4,  i860,  married  December  12, 
1885,  to  George  Iverson,  and  now  living  on 
the  home  farm;  Carrie  A.,  born  May  12, 
1866,  and  married  January  3,  1888,  to 
Merritt  Kenyon,  of  Stevens  Point.  For 
several  years,  in  addition  to  farming,  Mr. 
McMillin  followed  lumbering  operations  ex- 
tensively during  the  winter. 

In  November,  1861,  he  enlisted,  at 
Plover,  in  Company  E,  Eighteenth  Wis.  V. 
I.  The  regiment  was  ordered  from  Mil- 
waukee to  Tennessee,  and  at  Shiloh  saw  its 
first  active  engagement,  Exposure  and  dis- 
ease cost  more  lives  during  the  war  than 
bullets,  and  Mr.  McMillin,  though  possess- 
ing a  naturally  rugged  constitution,  was  one 
of  those  who  succumbed  to  the  climatic 
conditions  of  the  South  under  the  exposures 
to  which  troops  were  necessarily  subjected. 
His  health  was  ruined,  and  at  Corinth,  in 
Ausust,  1862,  he  was  discharged  on  account 
of  disability.  From  Corinth  he  came  di- 
rectly home,  and  the  ailment  he  contracted 
in  service  has  never  since  disappeared. 
To-day  he  is  almost  a  physical  wreck.  Mr. 
McMillin  in  a  later  year  of  the  war  was 
drafted,  but  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  he  was 
rejected  for  ill  health,  before  entering  active 
service.  He  has  continued  farmingoperations 
since  the  war,  but  during  the  past  five  years 
has  given  up  active  work.  Politically  he  is 
an  earnest  Republican  in  National  affairs, 
but  in  local  matters  he  is  independent.  For 
two  years  he  served  Stockton  township  as 
assessor.  Mrs.  McMillin  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Though  deprived  of  the 
benefits  of  good    schools  in   his  youth,  Mr. 


COHMEMOEATIVE    BIOOBAPHICAL   RECORD. 


McMillin  is  as  strong  an  advocate  of  thor- 
ough education  as  may  be  found  in  Stockton 
township,  and  by  observation  and  judicious 
reading  he  has  more  than  overcome  the  de- 
ficiencies of  his  own  opportunities.  He  is 
widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  as  one 
of  Stockton's  oldest  and  best  residents. 


ALANSON  C.  NORWAY,  who  is  now 
living  on  a  small  farm  of  forty  acres 
within  the  corporation  limits  of  Mer- 
rill, Lincoln  county,  is  one  of  the 
honored  pioneers  of  that  section,  having  ar- 
rived in  that  place  in  1851,  when  the  city 
was  called  Jenny,  and  had  not  more  than 
one  hundred  white  inhabitants,  though  there 
were  a  great  many  Indians  still  living  in  the 
neighborhood.  Wild  game  was  to  be  had 
in  abundance,  and  furnished  many  a  meal 
for  the  early  settlers. 

The  State  of  New  York  has  furnished 
many  worthy  citizens  to  Lincoln  county, 
not  least  among  whom  is  numbered  Mr. 
Norway,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lis- 
bon, St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  June  11, 
1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  Norway,  a  na- 
tive of  New  Jersey.  The  grandfather,  who 
bore  the  name  of  Charles,  came  to  this  coun- 
try from  Scotland  when  a  young  man,  locat- 
ing in  New  Jersey,  where  he  carried  on  farm- 
ing. Later  he  removed  to  New  York,  where 
both  he  and  his  wife  died.  In  their  family 
were  si.\  children — five  sons:  William,  John, 
James,  Gregor  and  Charles,  and  one  daugh- 
ter whose  name  is  not  known. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  to 
manhood  on  the  home  farm,  after  which  he 
married  Esther  Sheldon,  a  daughter  of  Ne- 
hemiah  and  Sarah  Sheldon,  and  to  them 
were  born  nine  children:  Alanson  C,  Will- 
iam and  Jeremiah,  who  are  still  living;  and 
Jerod,  Sheldon,  Geddin,  Elizabeth,  Claris- 
sa and  Sarah,  who  have  passed  away.  Will- 
iam and  Geddin  were  soldiers  during  the 
Civil  war,  fighting  Indians  in  Minnesota  in 
1862.  The  father  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits most  of  his  life,  though  at  an  early 
day  he  ran  a  flatboat  between  Ogdensburg, 
N.  Y.,  and  Montreal.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  a  man  of  high   moral   principals,  while 


politically  he  was  an  Abolitionist.  His  death 
occurred  in  New  York  in  1872.  His  wife,  a 
woman  of  firm,  decided  character,  died  in 
1883,  greatly  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her. 

Alanson  C.  Norway,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  second  in  his  father's  fam- 
ily, and  upon  the  home  farm  he  remained, 
assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  field  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority.  He  was  allowed 
to  attend  school  only  about  two  months 
during  the  year,  and  his  literary  education 
was  completed  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  He 
worked  some  for  others  while  still  in  New 
York,  and  at  one  time  went  with  a  raft  of 
square  lumber  to  Quebec.  In  the  winter  of 
1849  Mr.  Norway  came  west,  stopping  at 
Saginaw,  Mich.,  where  he  was  employed  in 
the  woods  until  the  following  spring,  when 
he  continued  his  journey  to  Walworth 
county,  Wis.  In  that  county  he  engaged 
in  farm  labor  during  the  summer,  but  in  the 
fall  returned  to  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained all  winter,  and  then  again  came  to 
Wisconsin,  spending  another  summer  in 
Walworth  county.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
in  the  fall  of  1851,  he  came  to  Merrill, 
locating  here  when  the  town  had  but  one  /■ 
industry  —  an  old  sawmill  owned  by  An- 
drew Warren.  For  one  season  Mr.  Norway 
worked  in  the  lumber  woods,  after  which  he 
made  a  contract  with  Jones  &  Goodard  to 
cut  and  put  in  their  logs.  From  that  time 
on  he  followed  lumbering  for  a  number  of 
years,  meeting  with  a  well-deserved  suc- 
cess. In  1866,  owing  to  poor  health,  he 
gave  up  that  occupation  and  purchased  a 
hotel,  known  then  as  the  "Jenny  House," 
but  later  the  name  was  changed  to  the 
"Merrill.  '  This  he  successfully  conducted 
for  sixteen  years,  when  he  built  his  present 
home  on  the  bank  of  Prairie  river,  a  beau- 
tiful spot,  and  his  place  consists  of  fort)' 
acres.  For  some  time  he  owned  an  addi- 
tion to  West  Merrill,  but  this  he  disposed  of/ 
in  1880. 

In  Merrill,  September  1,  1856,  Mr.  Nor- 
way wedded  Martha  Crown,  a  native  of 
Groton,  Caledonia  Co.,  Vt.,  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  1838,  to  Alanson  and  Amity  (Steb- 
bins)  Crown.  She  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children:  Harriet,  Maria,  Moses,  Martha, 
Horace,  Hannah,  Cynthia,  Aldin,  Orin   and 


s^^^  U        ^f/o-utyu 


^ 


COMMEMORA  TIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


103 


Frank.  The  parents  were  both  born  in 
Caledonia  county,  Vt. ,  and  removed  to  Wis- 
consin with  their  family  in  1848,  locating  in 
Green  Lake  county,  where  the  father's  death 
occurred  in  1886.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation. The  mother,  who  died  in  1880, 
was  a  daughter  of  Horace  Stebbins,  a  black- 
smith, of  Vermont,  in  which  State  he  mar- 
ried Hannah  Eaton,  £.nd  to  them  were  born 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
The  paternal  great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Nor- 
way was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  came 
when  a  small  boy  with  his  parents  to  Amer- 
ica, locating  in  Vermont.  Crown  Point, 
that  State,  was  named  in  honor  of  his 
father.  Ebins  Crown,  Mrs.  Norway's  grand- 
father was  captured  by  the  Indians  when  a 
boy  about  nine  years  of  age,  and  held  by 
them  until  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  was 
assisted  to  escape  by  a  young  squaw,  who 
never  dared  to  return  to  her  tribe.  He  was 
afterward  employed  at  Crown  Point  as  an 
interpreter  by  the  traders.  Alanson  Crown 
and  his  wife  were  earnest  Christian  people, 
holding  membership  for  many  years  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norway  were  born  six 
children,  only  two  of  whom  survive — the 
eldest  and  youngest — Charles  A.  and  Myron. 
Those  deceased  are:  Homer,  who  died 
while  young;  Clarissa,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  one  year;  Elnora,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
three;  and  Burton,  who  died  in  infancy.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Norway  is  a  steadfast  adherent 
to  the  principles  formulated  by  the  Republi- 
can party,  although  not  a  seeker  after  offi- 
cial positions.  For  six  years  he  served  as 
county  judge  of  Lincoln  county;  has  been 
chairman  of  the  town  and  city  boards;  and 
was  also  assessor,  in  which  offices  he  has 
served  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  all  concerned.  In  religious  views 
he  is  liberal,  believing  that  every  one  has  a 
right  to  his  own  opinion,  and  being  endowed 
with  many  virtues  and  a  genial,  hospitable 
manner,  he  receives  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  the  entire  community. 

Charles  A.  Norway,  a  representative 
of  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families  of 
Lincoln  county.  Wis.,  is  at  present  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  Merrill,  being 
connected  with    several  of  the  most  impor- 


tant industries  of  the  county.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  this  State,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Wausau  September  29,  1859,  and  is  a  son 
of  Alanson  C.  Norway,  one  of  the  highly- 
respected  early  settlers  of  this  portion  of 
the  State. 

The  primary  education  of  Charles  A. 
Norway  was  received  in  the  common  schools 
of  Merrill,  where  he  also  attended  the  high 
school,  and  later  entered  the  normal  school 
at  Oshkosh,  Wis.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  began  work  in  the  hotel  owned  by  his 
father,  and  was  admitted  into  partnership 
in  the  business  when  he  was  but  twenty 
years  of  age.  That  connection  continued 
for  three  years,  after  which  he  began  con- 
tracting and  building,  following  that  occupa- 
tion for  about  a  year.  In  1882  he  was 
elected  register  of  deeds  of  Lincoln  county, 
serving  four  years,  during  which  time  he 
opened  a  real-estate  office  and  purchased 
the  abstracts  of  the  county.  He  admitted 
to  partnership  C.  L.  Wiley,  and  they  re- 
mained in  that  business  until  the  spring  of 
1890,  when  they  sold  out  and  erected  a  saw- 
mill in  the  town  of  Harshaw,  Wis.,  which 
they  still  own.  They  cut  about  fifteen  mil- 
lion feet  of  lumber  per  year,  and  are  doing 
a  good  business,  in  connection  with  which 
they  have  a  general  store  at  the  same  place. 
In  1893  their  mill  was  burned,  but  they  re- 
built without  delay,  and  immediately  re- 
sumed work.  Mr.  Norway  is  also  interested 
in  a  drug  store  in  Merrill,  and  in  1894,  in 
company  with  J.  R.  Babcock,  he  built  and 
established  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of 
boxes,  the  firm  being  known  as  the  C.  A. 
Norway  Box  and  Lumber  Company.  Here 
he  is  also  meeting  with  success,  giving  em- 
ployment to  fifty  men. 

In  1881  Mr.  Norway  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Frances  Kimball,  who  was  born 
at  Stevens  Point,  Wis.,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Bryant  B.  Kimball.  Unto  our  subject  and 
his  estimable  wife  has  been  born  one  child, 
a  son,  Jerry  A.  In  politics,  Mr.  Norway  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  in  favor  of  any  move- 
ment that  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  communi- 
ty, or  calculated  to  elevate  the  tone  of  so- 
ciety in  general.  He  served  for  one  year  as 
alderman  of  the  city.  He  is  also  interested 
in  civic  societies,  holding  membership  with 


104 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOQRAPBICAL   RECORD. 


the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the  F.  and  A.  M. 
(being  a  Knight  Templar)  of  Wausau.  He 
is  an  industrious,  energetic  business  man, 
and  everything  he  undertakes  he  carries  for- 
ward to  completion  if  it  lies  within  his 
power. 


HON.  GILBERT  L.  PARK,  deceased. 
The  family  from  which  this  gentle- 
man descended  were  of  English 
origin,  and  early  settlers  in  America 
during  Colonial  days.  Joel  Park,  grand- 
father of  Gilbert  L. ,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  present  at 
the  surrender  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  army. 

The  subject  of  these  lines  was  born 
August  31,  1825,  at  Scipio,  Cayuga  Co., 
N.  Y. ,  a  son  of  Elisha  and  Sarah  (Mc- 
Dowell) Park,  prosperous  and  highly-es- 
teemed farming  people  of  that  State.  The 
lad  received  a  liberal  education  at  the 
schools  of  his  native  place  till  the  age  of 
fifteen,  when,  without  in  anyway  consult- 
ing his  parents,  he  left  the  parental  roof — 
in  other  words  "ran  away  from  home" — 
and  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  With  a  party  of  their  em- 
ployes he  went  up  the  Ottawa  river,  in  Can- 
ada, in  the  direction  of  Hudson  Bay,  and  as 
far  north  as  Fort  Churchill  on  the  river 
Severn.  Returning,  however,  southward  at 
the  end  of  a  year,  by  way  of  the  Georgian 
Bay,  he  there  left  the  company  and  took 
passage  on  a  steamer  for  Detroit,  thence 
proceeded  to  Port  Dover,  county  of  Norfolk, 
Upper  Canada  (now  Province  of  Ontario), 
where  his  father's  family  had  recently  set- 
tled. The  next  three  years  Mr.  Park  spent 
at  an  academy  in  Millville,  Orleans  Co. , 
N.  Y. ,  then  once  more  proceeded  to  Can- 
ada, where  he  embarked  in  business  as  a 
lumberman,  meeting  with  encouraging  suc- 
cess for  some  two  years,  or  till  in  1848, 
when  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  a  large 
raft  of  logs  which  had  broken  up  on  Lake 
Erie,  nearly  every  ' '  stick  "  floating  over  the 
Falls  of  Niagara  This  caused  him  to  close 
out  his  business,  and  he  then  commenced 
the  study  of  law  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  N.  A.  Balch  of  that  place. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that  county. 


in  September,  1851,  and  in  November,  same 
year,  he  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where,  his 
funds  being  e.xhausted,  he  went  to  work 
cutting  saw  logs  on  the  Wisconsin  river,  at 
which  he  continued  until  the  summer  of 
1852,  when  he  formed  a  law  partnership 
with  James  S.  Alban,  at  Plover,  at  that  time 
the  county  seat  of  Portage  county,  which 
firm  conducted  business  until  1855,  when  it 
was  dissolved.  Mr.  Park  then  removed  to 
Stevens  Point,  where  he  opened  up  an  office 
and  established  a  law  practice,  which  con- 
tinued up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  one  of  the  ablest  mem- 
bers of  his  profession  in  northern  Wiscon- 
sin, and  his  energy  and  vigor,  both  of  mind 
and  body,  his  command  of  speech  and  pen, 
inspired  the  people  with  such  full  confidence 
in  his  ability  and  integrity  that  they  early 
honored  him  with  election  to  local  positions 
of  responsibility  and  trust.  None,  perhaps, 
ever  exercised  more  influence  on  the  people, 
or  more  impressed  them  with  his  own 
merits,  than  Mr.  Park.  In  1854  he  was 
elected  district  attorney  of  Portage  county, 
in  which  incumbency  he  served  four  years; 
was  mayor  of  Stevens  Point  at  the  time  of 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
and  being  a  "War-Democrat"  he  resigned 
the  office  in  order  to  take  up  the  sword  in 
defense  of  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  as  ad- 
jutant of  the  Eighteenth  Regiment  Wis. 
V.  I.,  afterward  accepting  the  captaincy  of 
Company  G.  same  regiment.  He  accom- 
panied his  regiment  in  all  its  fortunes  for  a 
period  of  nearly  three  and  one-half  years, 
during  which  he  participated,  among  other 
engagements,  in  the  famous  battle  of  Look- 
out Mountain,  where  they  "fought  above 
the  clouds,"  also  at  Vicksburg,  and  Corinth, 
and  with  Sherman  on  his  march  to  Atlanta. 
Although  never  wounded,  he  experienced 
several  narrow  escapes,  at  one  time  his 
horse  being  shot  under  him,  at  another  a 
bullet  striking  his  scabbard  (while  the  sword 
was  sheathed),  a  portion  of  the  sword  blade 
being  broken  off.  On  retiring  from  his 
service  in  the  army.  Judge  Park,  in  the 
spring  of  1865,  returned  to  Stevens  Point, 
Wis.,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, at  the  same  time  applying  himself 
to  the  study  of  advanced  legal  lore  so  assidu- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


105 


ously  that  before  very  long  he  became  both 
a  jury  and  consulting  lawyer  of  no  little 
reputation,  probably,  if  anything,  excelling 
in  the  latter  capacity.  He  died  June  5, 
1884,  of  Bright's  disease,  and  was  buried 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic  Frater- 
nity. He  had  been  in  ill  health  for  some 
time,  and  had  traveled  considerably  in  Cali- 
fornia in  the  hope  of  bettering  his  physical 
condition;  but  he  returned  home  in  1883, 
little  improved,  and  in  January,  1884,  be- 
came a  patient  in  the  Sanitarium  at  Wau- 
kesha, Wis.,  where  he  succumbed  to  the 
disease  which  had  so  long  and  painfully 
afflicted  him. 

Judge  Gilbert  L.  Park,  as  has  already 
been  remarked  in  this  article,  was  a  "  War- 
Democrat,"  but  in  earlier  days  he  voted 
with  the  old  Whig  party.  On  March  i, 
1875,  he  was  appointed,  by  Gov.  Taylor, 
circuit  judge,  to  fill  a  two-years'  vacancy, 
and  in  April  following  was  elected  by  the 
people.  In  1878  he  was  re-elected  for  the 
full  term,  but  owing  to  ill  health  he  was 
obliged  to  resign  in  July,  1883,  before  the 
expiry  of  the  term.  As  a  jurist  he  was  cool, 
clear-headed,  candid  and  logical;  he  pre- 
sided with  ease  and  dignity,  and  with  the 
utmost  fairness  and  impartiality.  As  an 
evidence  of  his  popularity  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  while  serving  in  the  army  he 
was  nominated  (without  his  knowledge  or 
consent),  and  run  by  his  party,  for  State 
Senator  on  two  or  three  occasions;  he  was 
also  urged  to  bring  himself  forward  as  can- 
didate for  the  lieutenant-governorship  of 
Wisconsin,  and  also  for  member  of  Con- 
gress. 

On  February  26,  1856,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  D.  Beach,  daughter  of  John 
and  Anna  (Waterhouse)  Beach,  and  three 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  to  wit: 
Byron  B.,  sketch  of  whom  follows;  Gilbert 
L.  (practicing  law  in  Stevens  Point),  and 
Anna,  both  living  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Stevens  Point.  The  mother  of  these  died 
November  9,  1893,  and  she  and  her  husband 
lie  side  by  side  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Church 
of  the  Intercession  (Episcopal)  at  Stevens 
Point.  Mrs.  Park  was,  however,  associated 
with  the  Methodist  Church.  The  Judge  was 
a   prominent    member  of  the  F.    &  A.  M., 


had  reached  the  thirty-second  degree,  and 
was  a  Knight  Templar.  He  was  an  ardent 
student  and  lover  of  Nature  and  Nature's 
God,  and,  as  described  by  one  who  knew 
him  well,  was  a  man  who  saw  something 
beautiful  in  every  phase  and  form  of  life; 
one  who  was  the  delight  of  every  social 
group — young  or  old;  one  whose  smile  would 
lighten  a  household,  whose  frown  would 
cause  a  pang;  the  quiet  ease,  the  social 
converse,  the  varied  learning — all  were  his, 
and  no  one  ever  sat  in  his  company  without 
feeling  disquieted  at  his  departure;  he  was 
never  boisterous,  never  rude,  and  always 
mindful  of  the  feelings  of  others.  In  do- 
mestic life  he  was  a  lovable  character,  a 
kind  husband,  and  loving  father,  and  true 
friend  to  his  children. 


D    LLOYD     JONES.       This    leading 
member  of  the  bar,  one  of  the  ex- 
perienced and  reliable  attorneys  of 
Portage  county,  is  conspicuous   not 
only  as  such,  but  as  one  of  the  best-known 
and  widely-respected  citizens  in  this  portion 
of  the  State. 

He  is  a  native  of  North  Wales,  born  Oc- 
tober 9,  1 84 1,  in  the  parish  of  Llanfair, 
Denbighshire,  a  son  of  Edward  and  Anna 
Maria  (Lloyd)  Jones,  well-to-do  farming 
people  of  North  Wales,  who  lived  at  Graig 
Cottage.  The  father  died  at  Graig  Cottage 
in  1856,  the  mother  at  Rock  Cliffe,  North 
Wales,  in  1881,  and  both  their  remains  re- 
pose in  the  cemetery  of  Llanfair's  Parish 
Church.  They  were  members  of  the  Epis- 
copal and  Congregational  Churches,  respect- 
ively. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in 
part  at  the  British  and  Foreign  School  at 
Ruthin,  Denbighshire,  North  Wales,  and  in 
part  at  a  Church  school  in  Wrexham,  Flint- 
shire, after  which,  February  18,  1856,  he 
entered  the  North  and  South  Wales  Bank  as 
junior  clerk,  in  which  capacity  he  served  in 
that  institution  two  years,  at  Liverpool, 
Chester  and  Wrexham.  On  May  15,  1858, 
he  emigrated  to  America,  sailing  from  Liv- 
erpool on  the  "Jeremiah  Quin,"  of  the 
Black  Ball  Line,  and  arriving  in  New  York 
in  June.      After  remaining  there  a  couple  of 


io6 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


weeks  endeavoring  to  secure  a  position  in 
one  or  other  of  the  banking  institutions  of 
that  city,  he  came  to  Wisconsin,  for  a  brief 
space  sojourning  in  Milwaukee;  but  he  soon 
found  employment  on  a  farm  near  Wau- 
kesha. At  the  end  of  a  month  he  moved  to 
near  Oshkosh,  to  the  home  of  his  uncle, 
George  Griffiths,  where  and  in  the  vicinity 
he  remained  until  the  spring  of  i860.  He 
then  proceeded  to  Lake  Emily,  near  Fox 
Lake,  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  his  enlist- 
ment at  Beaver  Dam,  Dodge  county,  in 
Company  C,  Sixteenth  Wis.  V.  I.,  in  De- 
cember, 1 86 1,  with  which  regiment  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Cor- 
inth, siege  of  Vicksburg  and  Atlanta,  and 
many  minor  engagements,  and  Sherman's 
march  to  the  sea,  during  which  latter, 
toward  the  close  of.  the  march,  he  had 
charge  of  the  foragers  for  his  brigade.  In 
October,  1862,  after  the  battle  of  Corinth, 
he  was  promoted  to  first  sergeant;  in  July, 
1864,  after  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  was  pro- 
moted to  second  lieutenant;  in  December, 
1864,  was  appointed  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  July  12,  1865,  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service  with  the  latter  rank.  On 
July  21,  1864,  while  making  a  charge  on 
the  works  at  Leggett's  Hill,  before  Atlanta, 
he  received  a  bullet  wound  in  the  back  part 
of  the  neck,  rendering  him  unconscious,  so 
that  he  had  to  be  carried  from  the  field.  It 
was  a  very  narrow  escape  for  him  from 
death,  as  had  the  bullet  struck  him  a  little 
higher  or  a  little  lower  the  result  would 
have  been  instant  death.  After  leaving  the 
army  he  returned  to  the  peaceful  pursuits 
of  agriculture,  and  so  continued  till  Jan- 
uary, 1866,  when  he  was  appointed,  by 
State  Treasurer  W.  E.  Smith,  clerk  in  the 
treasurer's  office  at  Madison,  in  which  capac- 
ity he  remained  until  October,  1871.  In 
the  meantime  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  in  September,  1870,  entering  the  Uni- 
versity Law  School  at  Madison,  where  he 
graduated  in  June,  1871,  at  the  same  time 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  supreme 
court.  In  October,  1 871,  he  came  to 
Stevens  Point,  where  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  in  partnership 
with  G.  L.  Park,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Park    &    Jones.       In    1875    Mr.    Park    was 


elected  circuit  judge,  and  the  partnership 
was  dissolved,  Mr.  Jones  then  conducting 
the  business  alone  until  August,  1876,  at 
which  time  he  associated  himself  with  A.  W. 
Sanborn,  the  firm  being  known  as  Jones  & 
Sanborn  till  March,  1886,  when  Judge  Gate 
was  admitted  into  partnership,  the  style  of 
the  firm  becoming  Cate,  Jones  &  Sanborn, 
and  has  since  so  remained,  Mr.  Jones  having 
charge  of  all  the  supreme  court  work  of  the 
firm,  and  giving  his  special  attention  to 
corporation,  real-estate  and  commercial 
law  business. 

On  May  i,  1867,  Mr.  Jones  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Addie  Purple,  daugh- 
ter of  Chauncey  H.  Purple,  at  that  time  as- 
sistant State  treasurer.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  viz. :  Grace  Pur- 
ple, married  to  George  S.  Rodd,  and  Chaun- 
cey Lloyd,  now  a  student  of  law.  Politically 
our  subject  is  a  Republican,  and  for  five 
3'ears  he  represented  his  ward  in  the  council 
as  alderman,  part  of  the  time  filling  the 
president's  chair.  In  1872  he  was  appoint- 
ed United  States  commissioner  for  the  West- 
ern District  of  W^isconsin,  which  office  he 
yet  fills.  In  religious  faith  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  he  is  one  of  the  vestrymen.  Socially, 
since  1870  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  F. 
&  A.  M.,  was  in  Madison  Lodge  No.  5,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  Evergreen  Lodge  No. 
93,  of  Stevens  Point;  has  passed  all  the 
minor  degrees  up  to  and  including  that  of 
Knight  Templar,  is  member  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin Consistory,  Scottish  Rite,  Milwaukee, 
and  is  a  member  of  Crusade  Commandery 
No.  17,  Stevens  Point.  In  1891  he  was 
elected  grand  commander,  Knights  Templar 
of  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  serving  as  such 
one  year;  was  commander  of  Crusade  Com- 
mandery six  years,  high  priest  of  the  Chap- 
ter four  years,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
master  of  the  lodge  at  Stevens  Point.  By 
virtue  of  his  honorable  service  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Stevens  Post  No.  156,  of 
which  he  has  been  commander,  and  has 
served  in  the  Council  of  Administration  of 
the  Department  of  Wisconsin;  also  was 
judge  advocate  on  the  staff  of  Col.  Upham 
while  the  latter  was  department  commander. 


COMMEMOHATIVE    EIOGRAPUWAL    RECORD. 


107 


LEVI  MONTGOMERY  GREGORY, 
M.  D.  Among  the  eminent  phy- 
sicians and  surgeons  of  Portage  coun- 
ty, the  more  prominent  of  wliom  find 
place  in  this  volume,  none  enjoys  to  a  great- 
er extent  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
community  at  large  than  the  gentleman 
whose  name  is  here  recorded. 

Our  subject  is  an  Ohioan  by  birth,  hav- 
ing first  seen  the  light  at  Harpersfield,  Ash- 
tabula county,  August  17,  1827,  a  son  of 
Ezra  and  Eve  (Brakeman)  Gregory,  natives 
of  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y. ,  the  former  of 
Scottish  ancestry,  the  latter  of  German. 
The  father,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, came  with  his  family  to  Walworth 
county,  Wis.,  in  1846,  afterward  moving  to 
Sauk  county,  where  he  died  at  his  home  in 
Winfield  township.  He  was  a  Whig  of  the 
old  school,  and  at  one  time  served  as  sheriff 
of  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio;  also  as  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  in  other  positions  of  honor 
and  trust,  after  coming  to  Wisconsin,  in- 
variably winning  and  retaining  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he 
was  associated.  Courteous,  genial  and  kind- 
hearted,  he  was  universally  liked,  and  was 
extremely  popular.  In  Sauk  county  he  filled 
various  offices,  such  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
supervisor,  etc. ,  and  so  valuable  were  his 
services  that  he  was  almost  continually  called 
upon  to  serve  the  community  in  which  he 
lived  in  an  official  capacity  of  some  kind  or 
another. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  received 
his  education  at  the  public  schools  of  Ohio, 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  commenced  read- 
ing medicine  in  the  office  of  Ur.  Jerome 
Gregory,  of  Harpersfield,  Ohio,  with  whom 
he  remained  till  coming  to  Wisconsin  with 
the  rest  of  his  father's  family  in  1846.  Here 
he  resumed  his  medical  studies  in  the  office 
of  his  brother,  H.  N.  Gregory,  at  Fort  At- 
kinson, Jefferson  county,  and  then  attended 
the  Indiana  Medical  College  at  Laporte, 
Ind.,  two  sessions,  and  keeping  up  his 
studies  closely  ultimately  graduated  from 
Cleveland  Medical  College,  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  In  1850  he  located  in  Plover,  Port- 
age Co.,  Wis.,  and  at  once  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  being  the  only 
physician  in  the  place  at  that  time,  and  here 


remained  until  the  spring  of  1887,  the  time 
of  his  removal  to  Stevens  Point,  since  when 
he  has  been  in  active  practice  as  physician 
and  surgeon  in  that  prosperous  and  progress- 
ive city. 

On  February  22,  1852,  Dr.  Gregory  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Olive  S.  Bab- 
cock,  and  they  have  two  children,  namely: 
Frances  R.,  born  July  27,  1855,  and  Will 
W.,  born  September  16,  1870,  living  at  home 
with  his  parents.  Politically  the  Doctor  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  for  four  years,  under 
the  administration  of  Garfield  and  Arthur, 
he  served  as  pension  examiner.  His  full 
time  has  been  given  to  his  profession,  to 
which  he  is  devoted,  and  as  he  is  a  busy 
man  at  all  times,  he  finds  leisure  time  for 
little  else.  A  prominent  member  of  the  F. 
&  A.  M.,  he  has  been  a  Knight  Templar  for 
the  past  nine  years,  and  he  is  highly  re- 
spected and  esteemed  by  the  community. 


THOMAS  LOVE  is  proprietor  of  the 
"Love  Hotel,"  Grand  Rapids,  and 
probably  no  resident  of  Wood  county 
is  better  or  more  favorably  known 
than  he.  Mr.  Love  is  universally  esteemed 
by  those  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  ac- 
quaintance, and  no  better  evidence  of  his 
worth  can  be  given  to  the  public  than  a  record 
of  his  personal  history  in  this  volume. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Canada,  about 
twenty  miles  west  of  Quebec,  July  24,  1838, 
and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Isabella  (Beatie) 
Love  (natives  of  Ireland),  both  now  de- 
ceased. The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, but  taught  school  for  thirty-five 
years  in  one  district  in  Canada.  The  family 
comprised  twelve  children,  of  whom  nine  are 
still  living,  namely:  Mary,  who  resides  in 
Milwaukee,  Wis. ;  Patrick,  a  resident  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  Catherine,  wife  of  James 
Mehan,  who  makes  his  home  in  Milwaukee; 
Elizabeth,  who  also  lives  in  Rochester,  N. 
Y. ;  William  and  Thomas,  both  of  Grand 
Rapids,  Wis. ;  Eugene,  residing  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y. ;  James,  of  the  same  city;  and  Alex- 
ander, who  lives  at  Stevens  Point,  Wis. 
The  father  died  March  10,   1876. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Canada,  and  after  leaving 


io8 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


school  engaged  in  aggricultural  pursuits  un- 
til he  was  twenty-iive  years  of  age,  when  on 
the  5th  of  February,  1864,  he  left  home  for 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  Orleans  county,  that 
State,  he  went  to  work  for  H.  H.  Benedict, 
and  continued  in  his  employ  until  November 
of  the  same  year.  On  November  12,  1864, 
he  removed  to  Grand  Rapids,  Wis. ,  where  he 
has  since  made  his  home.  The  trip  from 
New  Lisbon,  N.  Y.,  to  Grand  Rapids,  was 
made  by  stage  and  occupied  three  days. 
During  the  first  winter  after  his  arrival  Mr. 
Love  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  for  James 
Mehan;  the  following  year  he  engaged  with 
John  Rablin  at  carpentering  and  building, 
and  was  also  employed  in  a  mill.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  employ  until  1873,  when  he 
started  his  present  business,  that  of  hotel- 
keeping. 

On  June  4,  i860,  Mr.  Love  wedded  Ma- 
tilda Reinhart,  who  was  born  December 
15,  1842,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Lucinda 
(McWilliams)  Reinhart,  who  had  a  family 
of  five  children:  Mary  M.,  born  November 
17,  1 841;  Matilda  (Mrs.  Love);  J.  G.,  born 
October  15,  1844;  M.  L. ,  born  January  i, 
1850;  and  Jonathan,  born  April  12,  1S52. 
Mr.  Love's  brothers  were  born  as  follows: 
William,  born  July  19,  1836;  Eugene,  August 
6,  1840;  Stephen,  December  7,  1843;  James, 
October  6,  1845;  and  Alexander,  Octo- 
bers, 1849.  The  mother  of  these  died  Oc- 
tober 12,  1863.  The  children  who  bless 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Love 
are  John  Graves,  born  June  2,  1861,  who  is 
foreign  or  commercial  agent  for  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company, 
with  residence  at  Centralia,  Wis. ;  Peter, 
born  March  24,  1863,  an  engineer  on  the 
Green  Bay,  Winona  &  St.  Paul  railroad,  his 
home  being  in  Grand  Rapids;  Mary  M.,  born 
April  20,  1865,  died  November  4,  1868; 
William  E.,  born  April  26,  1867,  a  train 
dispatcher  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  rail- 
road; Arthur  T. ,  born  October  8,  1871, 
cashier  in  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  railroad  office  at  Centralia,  Wis. ;  Lavin 
M.,  born  April  18,  1874,  died  October  5, 
1874;  Ale.xander  Raymond,  born  October 
21,  1875,  has  just  graduated  with  honors 
from  the  schools  of  Grand  Rapids;  James 
Irving,    born  December    18,    1877;    Francis 


Roger  L. ,  born  September  2,  1879;  Paul 
Carl,  born  September  28,  1 88 1 ;  and  Matilda 
M.,  born  January  17,  1886,  died  September 
28,  1888. 

Mr.  Love  and  his  family  are  devout 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church; 
in  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
stanchly  supports  the  principles  of  that 
party.  In  everything  pertaining  to  the  wel- 
fare of  Grand  Rapids  he  takes  an  active 
part,  and  is  numbered  among  her  honored 
and  respected  citizens. 


THOMAS  CHRISTY,  a  leadingblack- 
smith  and  wagonmaker  of  Merrill, 
Lincoln  county,  is  conducting  a  suc- 
cessful and  well-established  business, 
one  that  occupies  a  prominent  place  among 
the  various  industries  of  that  thriving  city. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  standing  in  the  com- 
munity, as  he  conducts  his  business  on 
strictly  honest  principles,  and  is  looked  upon 
as  a  useful  and  honorable  citizen. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Christy  occurred  in 
New  Brunswick,  Canada,  August  13,  1835, 
and  he  is  a  son  of  John  Christy,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  province  in  1801.  The 
grandfather,  Jesse  Christy,  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire  August  i,  1755,  and  went  to 
Canada  in  1762  with  the  first  colony  that 
settled  along  the  St.  John  river.  He  was 
there  married  in  1781  to  Easter  Burpee,  a 
native  of  the  same  place  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, born  May  3,  1759,  also  a  member  of 
the  colony.  They  became  the  parents  of 
thirteen  children,  their  names  and  dates  of 
birth  being  as  follows:  Agnes,  January  12, 
1782,  died  1828;  James,  February  2,  1783; 
Thomas,  June  12,  1784,  died  1853;  Mary, 
June  14,  1786,  died  1835;  Jesse,  September 
25,  1787,  died  1789;  Jesse,  June  16,  1789; 
Hepzibah,  May  3,  1791;  Elizabeth,  March 
I.  1793;  Peter,  February  15,  1795;  Joshua, 
September  28,  1797;  Jeremiah,  June  16, 
1799;  John  (the  father  ot  our  subject), 
September  5,  1801,  died  September  5, 
1872;  George,  January  3,  1803.  Jesse 
Christy  and  his  wife  were  highly-respected 
people,  honored  and  esteemed.  They  both 
died  in  Canada,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  where  he 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


109 


for  many  years  had  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits. 

John  Christy,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  millwright  by  trade,  which  occupation  he 
followed  some  fifty  years.  He  was  twice 
married — first  time  August  2,  1828,  to  Par- 
melia  Quint,  who  was  born  in  September, 
1809,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  daughter  of 
William  and  Susan  (Payne)  Quint,  both  also 
natives  of  Maine  (the  former  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1785;  they  were  married  in  1808), 
where  the  father  was  a  sailor  during  the 
earlier  years  of  his  life.  They  removed  to 
New  Brunswick  in  1723,  where  Mr.  Quint 
was  engaged  in  lumbering,  and  Mrs.  Quint 
died.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, to  wit:  Permelia,  born  September  i, 
1809.  married  in  1828,  died  in  1836;  Jo- 
annes, born  March  28,  181 1,  died  1812; 
Diana,  born  February  5,  1813,  married 
1833,  died  1892.  Eliza,  born  August  18, 
1816,  married  1834,  died  1842;  William 
Payne,  born  December  i,  181 8,  married 
1846;  Amsom  Parker,  born  May  11,  1824, 
married  1855;  Susan  Payne,  born  July  26, 
1826,  married  1846,  died  1861;  Jane  Al- 
lingham,  born  May  13,  1829,  married  1853; 
Elizabeth  E.,  born  October  13,  1832,  died 
1842;  Henry  D.,  born  August  25,  1835, 
married  1866.  The  father  of  these  died  in 
1843,  the  mother  in  1865.  Samuel  Payne, 
maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Permelia 
Christy,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  To 
John  and  Permelia  Christy  were  born  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Mary  Ann,  May  11,  1829; 
John  P.,  December  i,  1830;  Diana,  Feb- 
ruary 21,    1833;    and  Thomas,    August  13, 

1835.  The  mother  of  these  died  May  27, 

1836,  and  in  1845  Mr.  Christy,  for  his  sec- 
ond wife,  married  Miss  Jane  B.  Perley,  who 
was  born  December  4,  1808,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Perley;  she  died  September  21, 
1871. 

Thomas  Christy,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record,  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  country,  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  had  attained  his 
twenty-fifth  year,  working  with  his  father 
at  the  millwright's  trade.  He  then  started 
out  in  life  for  himself,  following  lumbering 
and  milling  for  some  six  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  began  blacksmithing  in  New 


Brunswick,  and  was  thus  employed  ten  years, 
when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  a  saw  and 
grist  mill,  operating  the  same  some  five 
years.  In  September,  1881,  he  came  to 
Wisconsin,  locating  at  Wausau,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  for  others  about  four 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Scofield,  Wis. , 
remaining  there  about  a  year,  when  he 
came  to  Merrill  and  built  his  present  black- 
smith shop,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
He  has  in  his  employ  five  workmen,  and  the 
work  he  turns  out  is  all  of  a  first-class  de- 
scription. During  his  residence  in  this  State 
Mr.  Christy  has  also  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  many  dams  in  Michigan,  Mon- 
tana, Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  He  has  had  a 
great  amount  of  experience  in  his  line  of 
work,  for  when  at  home  he  often  aided  his 
father  who  was  an  expert  in  that  line  of 
business. 

On  September  3,  1868,  in  Canada, 
Mr.  Christy  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Helen  White,  who  was  born  in  that 
country  June  23,  1851,  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Esther  (Wiggins)  White,  who 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  named 
respectively:  Ebenezer  H.,  Elizabeth  A., 
Henry  K.,  Helen,  Esther  R. ,  Amelia  M., 
Neville  V.,  Rebecca  A.,  Carrie  E.  and  Eva 

E.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright by  trade,  and  he  died  in  New  Bruns- 
wick May  2,  1867,  his  wife  in  the  spring  of 
1894,  in  Duluth,  Minn.  His  grandparents, 
who  were  Loyalists,  removed  to  Canada  from 
the  United  States  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. To  our  subject  and  wife  have  come 
two  sons — John  K.,  born  September  26, 
1869,  and  Wesley  H.,  born  June  8,  1871, 
both  connected  in  business  with  their  father. 

The  cause  of  temperance  has  always 
received  the  earnest  support  of  Mr.  Christy, 
and  he  now  stanchly  advocates  the  principles 
of  the  Prohibition  party,  with  which  he  casts 
his  ballot,  though  he  is  no  politician ;  he  is  now 
serving  as  alderman  of  the  Fourth  ward  of 
Merrill.  With  the  Presbyterian  Church  he 
holds  membership,  and  is  at  present  one  of 
its   elders;  socially,  he   is  a    member  of   the 

F.  &  A.  M.  In  business  he  has  won  a  well- 
merited  success,  and  in  connection  with  his 
sons  not  only  does  general  blacksmithing 
and   repairing,    but  also   deals    in     wagons. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cutters,  sleighs,  etc.  They  conduct  a  hicra- 
tive  trade,  and  rank  among  the  best  firms 
of  the  city. 


IVI 


ICHAEL  RUPLINGER,  an  ex- 
tensive manufacturer  and  general 
merchant  at  Hewitt,  Wood  coun- 
ty, has  grown  by  slow  degrees  to 
his  present  active  and  influential  life  from  a 
start  as  modest  as  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  a 
poor  boy.  He  commenced  with  no  capital, 
and  directing  his  attention  to  an  industry 
that  permitted  the  use  of  an  abundance  of 
hard  work  and  energy,  he  has  gradually 
broadened  his  sphere  of  action.  An  unin- 
terrupted continuance  of  this  course  has 
brought  him  wealth  and  prosperity. 

Mr.  Ruplinger  was  born  in  Polk  town- 
ship, Washington  Co.,  Wis.,  July  22,  1850, 
son  of  Nicholas  and  Magdalena  (Wahlen) 
Ruplinger,  who  in  1846  emigrated  from 
Prussia,  their  native  land,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  W^ashington  county,  Wis.,  where  he 
remained  through  life.  Of  their  si.\  chil- 
dren— Mathias,  John,  Joseph,  Michael, 
Mary  and  Margaret — two  were  born  in  Ger- 
many, one  on  the  ocean  and  three  in  Wis- 
consin. Michael  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools  in 
that  neighborhood.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  began  life  for  himself,  for  three  years 
worked  out  on  a  farm,  then  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  entered  upon  business  operations 
of  his  own.  In  partnership  with  Henry 
Knapp  he  began,  in  the  town  of  West  Bend, 
the  manufacture  of  staves  with  horse-power. 
For  eight  years  they  followed  this  work  suc- 
cessfully, when  Mr.  Ruplinger,  believing 
that  steam-power  would  prove  profitable, 
risked  the  construction  of  a  steam  plant  at 
the  city  of  West  Bend;  his  judgment  proved 
correct;  but  in  1879  he  met  with  misfortune 
in  the  shape  of  a  fire  that  destroyed  the  fac- 
tory, by  which  he  lost  everything,  less  about 
$500.  However,  he  rebuilt,  and  continued  to 
operate  the  plant  successfully  until  18S5.  The 
northern  part  of  the  State  seeming  to  offer 
greater  opportunities  in  the  way  of  material, 
Mr.  Ruplinger  in  that  year  decided  to  locate 
in  Wood  county.  In  company  with  two 
others  he  built  a    large   stave   and   heading 


factory  at  Hewitt.  Wise  management  made 
the  venture  a  success,  and  in  1887  a  saw- 
mill was  added.  In  the  same  year  they 
started  a  general  store,  the  partners  being 
his  brother  John  R. ,  and  Baltus  Christmann. 
In  1889  Mr.  Ruplinger,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Uthmeir,  opened  a  general  store  at 
Marshfield.  In  1883,  in  companj-  with  his 
brother  John,  he  still  further  extended  his 
business  interests  to  a  stave  factory  and  lum- 
ber yard  at  Allenton,  Washington  county, 
some  twenty  men  being  employed,  John 
Ruplinger  looking  after  the  lumber  yard  at 
Allenton;  he  was  a  soldier  during  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  serving  in  the  First  Wis.  V. 
C.  In  1 89 1  Mr.  Ruplinger,  in  company 
with  his  brother  John  R. ,  Baltus  Christ- 
mann and  William  Uthmeir,  started  a  steam 
and  heating  foundry  at  Loyal,  Clark  Co., 
Wis.,  and  also  a  general  store.  In  1892  he 
bought  out  the  company,  and  purchased 
1,500  acres  of  timber  land  in  order  to 
supply  their  mill  for  future  years.  The 
general  store  in  Marshfield,  which  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  county,  carries  a  stock 
valued  at  $8,000,  and  handles  all  kinds  of 
farm  produce.  Mr.  Ruplinger  also  deals  to 
some  extent  in  land,  timber,  etc.  He  has 
been  a  heavy  loser,  not  only  by  fire,  but  also 
through  endorsing  for  others,  losing  within 
a  couple  of  years  as  much  as  $9,000,  by 
signing  for  the  accommodation  of  others. 

In  1872  Mr.  Ruplinger  was  married,  in 
Milwaukee,  to  Miss  Mary  Ritger,  a  native 
of  New  York.  Her  parents,  Philip  and 
Katherine  (Wolf)  Ritger,  emigrated  from 
Bavaria,  Germany,  to  America,  in  1848,  and, 
after  residing  for  some  time  in  New  York 
State,  moved  to  Washington  county,  Wis. , 
where  they  died.  Their  children  were  John, 
Philip,  Jacob,  Peter,  August,  Frank,  Mary 
and  Paulina.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruplinger 
ten  children  have  been  born,  as  follows: 
Philip  M.,  Anna  K.,  Peter  L. ,  Edward, 
Joseph  and  Richard  B.,  all  living  at  home, 
and  John,  Mary,  Rosa,  and  an  infant,  all 
four  deceased.  Philip  M.  is  clerking  in  the 
store  at  Marshfield.  In  politics  Mr.  Rup- 
linger is  a  Democrat.  Against  his  wishes 
he  was  nominated  on  his  party's  ticket  for 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  in  1894, 
for  his  private  affairs  do  not  permit  the  de- 


-^yt^f^i^AJ^/yy  fd^t^^^yU-^r^y^/O^ 


COMMEMORATIVE    BWGRAFUIVAL   RECORD. 


votion  of  his  time  to  politics.  He  talces  a 
lively  interest  in  school  matters,  and  for  six 
years  was  school  treasurer  at  Hewitt.  In 
religious  affiliation  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Ruplinger  is  dis- 
tinctively a  self-made  man.  He  owns  a  fine 
home,  and  his  large  business  interests  and 
sterling  character  have  given  him  an  influen- 
tial standing  in  Wood  county.  He  is  "one 
of  the  people,"  for,  whatever  may  be  his  po- 
sition in  life,  he  is  thoroughly  permeated 
with  the  essence  of  the  Democratic  princi- 
ples upon  which  the  American  form  of  gov- 
ernment is  based. 


JOHN  P.  CHRISTY,  though  a  recent 
arrival  in  Merrill,  Lincoln  county,  has 
already  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 
He  is  a  brother  of  Thomas  Christy,  the  well- 
known  blacksmith  and  wagon  maker  of  Mer- 
rill, in  whose  sketch  a  full  record  of  the 
family  is  given. 

The  subject  of  these  lines  was  born  in 
New  Brunswick,  Canada,  December  i,  1830, 
and  in  that  country  during  his  boyhood  and 
youth  was  educated,  attending  the  common 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  of  his  home. 
He  was  there  reared,  and  with  his  father 
learned  the  trade  of  a  millwright,  remaining 
with  him  until  the  latter's  death,  in  1872. 
Since  then  he  has  made  that  occupation  his 
life  work,  and  is  recognized  as  a  thorough 
expert.  He  remained  in  his  native  country 
until  1892,  when,  accompanied  by  his  family, 
he  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating  in  Merrill, 
which  he  now  makes  his  home. 

In  New  Brunswick  Mr.  Christy  was  mar- 
ried, in  1869,  to  Miss  Frances  Mitchell,  a 
native  of  that  country,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Anna  (Doby)  Mitchell,  who  had 
a  family  of  eight  children,  John,  James, 
William,  George,  Alexander,  Janet,  Mary 
Ann  and  Frances.  Both  the  parents  were 
natives  of  Scotland,  and  were  married  in 
Canada,  where  the  father  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christy  have  been 
born  two  sons,  both  of  whom  arc  at  home — 
Alexander,  who  is  working  in  the  mills  at 
Merrill    (he     holds    membership     with     the 


I.O.O.F.);  and  William,  who  is  still  attend- 
ing school.  The  father  belongs  to  no  secret 
society;  in  religious  faith  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  is  a  consistent 
Christian  gentleman.  He  bears  a  high  char- 
acter for  sterling  integrity,  and  his  honesty 
is  unquestioned. 


EDWARD  D.  GLENNON,  editor  and 
proprietor  of  The  Gazette  of  Stevens 
Point,  Portage  county,  is  a  native  of 
that   city,    having  been   born   there 
September  3,   1857,  when  it  was  a  village  of 
but  a  few  hundred  inhabitants. 

Until  about  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
place,  after  which  he  became  an  apprentice 
in  the  Journal  office,  remaining  there  until 
1877.  He  then  established  a  job-printing 
establishment  and  confectionery  store;  later, 
on  July  17,  1878,  in  company  with  H.  W. 
Lee  and  W.  C.  Krembs,  started  the  Portage 
County  Gazette.  The  newspaper  firm  was 
known  as  Glennon,  Krembs  &  Co.,  for  some 
eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
it  was  changed  to  Glennon  &  Cooper,  Clay 
C.  Cooper  having  bought  out  the  interests 
of  the  other  partners.  In  May,  1883,  Mr. 
Glennon  became  sole  proprietor,  and  has 
since  so  continued  to  the  present  time.  Tlie 
Gazette  is  an  active  local  publication,  enjoy- 
ing a  circulation  extending  throughout  the 
county  and  neighboring  cities  and  towns. 

On  March  31,  1880,  Mr.  Glennon  was 
married  to  Miss  Annie  M.  Krembs,  eldest 
daughter  of  Charles  Krembs  (now  deceased) 
who  during  his  life  time  was  a  leading  hard- 
ware merchant  of  Stevens  Point.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  six  children:  Mar- 
guerite, Edward,  Carl,  George,  Katherine 
and  Grace,  the  eldest  being  now  (Septem- 
ber, 1895)  fourteen  years  old,  and  the 
youngest  an  infant  of  seven  months.  Mr. 
Glennon  in  politics  is  a  Democrat,  has  been 
a  member  of  the  board  of  education  for  ten 
years,  and  president  of  the  local  branch,  C. 
K.  of  W.,  nine  years.  His  father,  who  was 
born  in  Ireland,  coming  to  this  country  when 
a  boy,  is  living  at  Stevens  Point  in  the  en- 
joyment of  good  health  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years. 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


JAMES    O.     RAYMOND,     one    of   the 
oldest   established  attorneys  at   law  of 
Stevens  Point,  Portage  county,  has  long 
held,  in  the  opinion  of  those  competent 
to  judge,  an  enviable  place  in  the  front  rank 
of  the  array  of  legal  talent  which  constitutes 
the  bar  of  this  State. 

Mr.  Raymond  is  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  May  30,  1831,  in  McDonough, 
Chenango  county,  a  son  of  Edward  and 
Maria  (Osborn)  Raymond,  who  were  of  En- 
glish and  Irish  extraction  respectively,  the 
former  a  native  of  Athol,  Worcester  Co., 
Mass.,  the  latter  of  Washington  county,  N. 
Y.  Our  subject  received  his  education  at 
the  public  schools  of  Chenango  and  Tioga 
(N.  Y.)  counties,  at  Newark  Valley  (N.  Y.) 
High  School,  and  at  the  academy  at  Owego, 
Tioga  county,  after  which  he  taught  school 
some  four  terms.  When  twenty-two  years 
old,  in  1853,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  John  M.  Parker,  of  Owego, 
N.  Y.,  remaining  under  his  preceptorship 
two  years,  or  until  1855,  when  he  came  west 
to  Wisconsin,  and  in  Fond  du  Lac  continued 
his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  Edward  & 
Bragg.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
moved  to  Plover,  Portage  county,  where  he 
taught  school  one  term.  On  May  26,  1856, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Plover,  and  at 
once  commenced  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession.  On  February  20,  1866,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Wisconsin  Supreme  Court, 
and  on  June  5,  1873,  to  the  United  States 
Circuit  and  District  Courts.  In  July,  1873, 
he  moved  to  Stevens  Point,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  At  first,  and  for  some  years, 
Mr.  Raymond  conducted  a  general  practice, 
being  employed  on  many  important  cases; 
but  for  the  past  five  years  he  has  restricted 
himself  more  exclusively  to  acting  as  coun- 
sel, appearing  only  occasionally  in  court  to 
argue  cases,  generally  in  the  supreme  court. 
The  cases  he  argued  in  that  court  numbered 
over  one  hundred,  and  altogether  it  may  be 
said  that  he  has  been  identified  with  and  in- 
terested in  more  important  cases  than,  prob- 
ably, any  other  attorney  in  this  section  of 
the  State.  In  1856  he  was  elected,  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  district  attorney  of  Port- 
age county,  re-elected  in  1858,  and  again  in 
1866,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 


supervisors  of  Plover  for  some  years.  In 
1865  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  in 
1 88 1  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Stevens 
Point,  serving  four  years.  During  the  Civil 
war,  February  i,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany C,  Fifty-second  Wis.  V.  I.,  at  its  for- 
mation, and  on  the  organization  of  the  com- 
pany he  was  appointed  first  sergeant.  He 
saw  service  at  St.  Louis  and  Pilot  Knob, 
Mo.,  also  at  Ft.  Leavenworth,  Kans. ,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  service  was  brevetted 
second  lieutenant. 

On  October  25,  1857,  Mr.  Raymond  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Eliza 
Harris,  of  Canton,  Ohio,  and  three  children 
were  born  to  them,  only  one  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity — Mitchell  Harris  Raymond,  now 
cashier  of  the  Merchants  State  Bank,  of 
Rhinelander,  Wis.  The  wife  and  mother 
died  in  October,  1864,  and  April  15,  1867, 
our  subject  was  married  to  Mrs.  Lucinda 
Hanchett,  widow  of  Hon.  Luther  Hanchett, 
a  former  partner  of  Mr.  Raymond,  and  who 
died  while  a  member  of  Congress.  Socially 
Mr.  Raymond  has  been  a  member  of  the  F. 
&  A.  M.  since  September,  1856,  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  belongs  to  the  Chapter,  and  is 
a  Knight  Templar;  while  a  resident  of  Plover 
he  served  as  Master  of  Blue  Lodge  No.  76, 
and  after  coming  to  Stevens  Point  was  mas- 
ter for  a  tune  of  Evergreen  Lodge,  of  that 
city.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. , 
Stevens  Point  Post  No.  56,  was  its  first 
commander,  and  held  that  position  some 
three  years.  He  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  of  Portage  county,  is  possessed  of 
marked  abilit}',  and  has  acquired  a  reputa- 
tion for  business  tact  and  fairness  greatly  to 
his  credit. 


JOHN  OELHAFEN,   a  prominent   and 
influential  citizen  of  Tomahawk,  Lin- 
coln county,    is  a   native  of   Bavaria, 
Germany,    born   January    22,    1836,    a 
son  of  Andrew  Oelhafen. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  June  15,  1806.  and  was 
a  man  of  rank  and  owner  of  a  large  estate. 
He  came  to  America  in  1845,  landing  in 
Milwaukee,  and  purchased  a  quarter  section 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


113 


of  government  land  in  Washington  county, 
Wis.,  which  he  cleared  and  cultivated,  liv- 
ing there  until  1863.  He  then  removed  to 
Milwaukee,  residing  there  until  his  death, 
in  1875.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Beck,  daughter  of  a  well-to-do 
farmer,  and  one  of  a  large  family.  Their 
children  were:  John,  Jacob,  Maria  E. , 
Margaret  E.,  Fritz,  Frederick,  Elizabeth, 
Ludwick  and  Marguerite. 

John  Oelhafen,  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch,  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
when  eight  years  of  age,  and  his  childhood 
days  were  spent  on  the  farm,  his  primary 
education  being  received  in  the  village 
schools.  He  remained  on  the  farm,  assist- 
ing his  father  until  he  reached  his  majority, 
although  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  com- 
menced working  in  the  pineries,  giving  his 
earnings  to  his  father  to  help  in  the  support 
of  the  family.  In  September,  1861,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  S.  Miller, 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Krouse)  Mil- 
ler, the  former  of  whom  was  an  extensive 
landowner  in  Germany.  Anna  S.  came  to 
America,  alone,  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  To 
this  union  were  born  six  children,  viz. : 
Anna  E.,  born  October  3,  1862,  now  the 
wife  of  August  Zastrow,  living  in  Toma- 
hawk; Andrew,  born  February  29,  1864, 
married,  and  is  clerk  in  his  father's  store; 
John  W.,  born  May  11,  1866,  married,  and 
also  a  clerk  in  his  father's  store;  Mary  E., 
born  June  28,  1868,  now  the  wife  of  George 
Pfeiffer,  of  Wausau,  Wis. ;  William,  born 
April  2,  1872,  and  Anna  L. ,  born  November 
19,  1878.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  Oelha- 
fen and  his  wife  removed  to  a  farm  in  Wash- 
ington county,  where  they  remained  for 
about  two  years.  Mr.  Oelhafen  then  sold 
his  interest  in  the  farm  and  removed  to  Mil- 
waukee, where  he  opened  a  general  store, 
remaining  there  some  ten  years.  In  1872 
he  removed  to  Wausau,  at  which  place  he 
opened  a  general  store,  and  also  engaged  in 
the  lumbering  business,  both  in  Wausau  and 
in  Millbank,  S.  Dak.,  where  he  still  has 
large  interests  in  farm  lands  and  city  prop- 
erty. In  July,  1887,  he  erected  the  first 
building  in  Tomahawk,  Lincoln  county,  be- 
fore the  days  of  railroads  in  that  section  of 
the  countr}'.    At  Tomahawk  he  again  opened 


a  general  store,  which  he  still  carries  on,  be- 
ing assisted  by  his  three  sons. 

Mr.  Oelhafen  has  invested  heavily,  but 
profitably,  in  pine  and  farm  lands  all  through 
the  northern  part  of  the  State.  He  owns  a 
very  handsome  residence  in  Wausau,  and 
has  always  been  an  enterprising  and  influen- 
tial citizen.  He  at  one  time  filled  the  office 
of  vice-president  of  the  first  bank  of  Toma- 
hawk, now  Bradley's  private  bank.  The 
family  are  all  leading  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Oelhafen  is 
a  Republican,  and  although  often  urged  by 
his  friends  would  never  accept  any  office. 
He  is  a  man  of  considerable  means,  which 
he  has  acquired  by  a  life  of  industry. 


DENNIS  LAUGHLIN,  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  farmers  of  Stockton 
township.  Portage  county,  is  the  son 
of  an  old  pioneer,  and  though  still  a 
young  man,  has  lived  to  witness  the  mar- 
velous changes  that  have  occurred  in  the 
Upper  Wisconsin  Valley  during  the  past 
forty  years.  He  was  born  in  Toronto,  Up- 
per Canada,  August  9,  1853,  son  of  Patrick 
and  Margaret  (Cullon)  Laughlin,  natives  of 
County  Wicklow,  Ireland,  where  Patrick 
was  born,  in  181  5,  the  son  of  Dennis  Laugh- 
lin, a  stock  farmer  of  some  means,  and 
where  Margaret  was  born,  January  10,  1826, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Cullon. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  Patrick  and 
Margaret  Laughlin  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  a 
sailing  vessel,  starting  from  New  Ross  and 
landing  at  New  York  City  in  June,  1847, 
after  a  seven-weeks'  voyage.  At  Utica,  N. 
Y.,  they  secured  employment  as  attendants 
in  the  insane  asylum.  They  moved  to  Can- 
ada early  in  the  year  1853,  where  Mr. 
Laughlin  entered  the  grocery  business,  but 
within  a  year  he  returned  to  the  United  States, 
coming  in  the  fall  of  1853  to  Wisconsin. 
They  reached  Stevens  Point  November  2, 
1853.  It  was  election  day,  and  the  site  of 
the  present  "  Curran  Hotel  "  was  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  village.  Election  excitement 
was  high  that  day,  for  between  the  hotel 
site  and  the  Wisconsin  river  fourteen  fist 
fights  were  in  progress  at  one  time.  The 
journey  was  made  from  Milwaukee  by  team. 


114 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Mr.  Laughlin  bought  two  lots  at  Stevens 
Point,  which  the  family  still  owns.  He  also 
purchased  from  the  government  120  acres 
in  Section  28  of  what  is  now  Stockton  town- 
ship. During  the  winter  of  1853-54  the 
family  lived  at  Stevens  Point;  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  removed  to  the  farm,  where 
they  lived  in  a  shanty  16x20  feet,  which 
Mr.  Laughlin  had  built,  the  first  habitation 
on  the  farm.  The  father  at  once  began  to 
improve  the  place,  and  he  lived  here  until 
his  death,  May  8,  1885,  after  a  brief  illness. 
He  was  the  owner  of  360  acres  of  land  in 
Stockton  and  New  Hope  townships.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  his  religion 
was  that  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The 
widow  still  lives  on  the  farm  with  her  son 
«  Dennis.  The  children  of  Patrick  and  Mar- 
garet Laughlin  were  Mary,  born  in  Utica, 
N.  Y. ,  and  now  the  widow  of  John  McGin- 
ley,  of  Almond  township;  Dennis;  Margaret, 
now  Mrs.  Patrick  Ryan,  acting  postmaster 
at  Custer  post  office;  Catherine,  now  Mrs. 
Michael  Lally,  of  Rhinelander,  Wis. ;  Eliza- 
beth, now  Mrs.  M.  O'Keefe,  of  Stockton 
township;  Theresa,  Mrs.  George  Wood- 
north,  of  Helena,  Mont.;  Martha,  a  teacher, 
at  home. 

Dennis  Laughlin  was  a  babe  when  he 
was  brought  to  Portage  county.  He  was 
reared  on  the  farm  he  owns,  spending  the 
winters  in  the  woods.  All  told,  he  has  fol- 
lowed lumbering  for  twenty-two  winters. 
He  was  married  July  10,  1S79,  in  Stockton 
township,  to  Miss  Margaret  Conniff,  who 
was  born  in  Beloit,  Wis.,  December  18, 
1855,  daughter  of  John  and  Winifred 
(O'Rourkej  Conniff,  natives  of  County  Gal- 
way,  Ireland.  The  family  of  Dennis  and 
Margaret  Laughlin  consists  of  Amanda  W. , 
John  Thomas,  Mary  F. ,  Stanley  P.,  Daniel 
F.,  and  Ruth  A.;  Margaret  E.  died  in  in- 
fancy. After  his  marriage  Mr.  Laughlin 
began  housekeeping  on  the  home  farm,  and 
in  1885,  after  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
completed  a  large  stone  residence,  which  is 
the  finest  in  the  township.  He  is  the  owner 
of  over  400  acres  of  land,  and  one  of  the 
most  prominent  citizens  of  the  township. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  In  the  spring  of 
1894  he  was  elected   town  chairman,  and  is 


generally  regarded  as  one  of  the  political 
leaders  of  the  township.  Under  President 
Harrison's  administration  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Custer,  and  has  since  held  that 
office,  giving  over  the  details  of  the  work  to 
his  brother-in-law  and  sister.  Mr.  Laughlin 
has  a  remarkable  memory,  and  is  gifted  with 
a  high  order  of  business  ability. 


ANTON  LIEG  &  SON  is  the  name 
of  one  of  the  most  prominent  business 
firms  of  Shawano,  and  these  gentle- 
man demonstrate  what  can  be  accom- 
plished through  industry,  diligence  and  per- 
severance. The  senior  member  of  the  firm 
was  born  in  Prussia  June  22,  1835,  and  is 
a  son  of  Kasler  Lieg,  a  tailor  by  trade. 
The  father  died  when  Anton  was  only 
seven  years  of  age,  leaving  the  widow  with 
two  children — Anton  and  John. 

After  obtaining  an  ordinary  education, 
Anton  Lieg  at  the  age  of  fourteen  began 
working  as  a  slater,  and  when  seventeen  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  going  down  the 
Rhine  to  Rotterdam,  thence  sailing  across 
the  North  Sea  to  Hull,  England,  and  from 
there  journeying  by  rail  to  Liverpool,  where 
he  boarded  a  sailing  vessel,  which  sixty  days 
later  reached  New  York  harbor  in  safety. 
From  there  traveling  westward,  his  funds 
were  exhausted  at  Erie,  Penn.,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  he  was  forced  to  seek  work 
there,  and  obtaining  a  position  as  a  farm 
hand,  remained  there  from  August,  1852, 
until  Jul}',  1853,  when  he  came  by  boat  to 
Milwaukee.  He  had  been  employed  on  the 
construction  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  railroad,  but  through  a  dishonest 
contractor  lost  his  wages.  In  Milwaukee, 
he  secured  work  in  a  brickyard,  receiving 
from  $25  to  $30  per  month,  and  in  that 
locality  he  remained  until  1856,  when  he 
went  to  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  where  he  again 
secured  work  in  a  brickyard. 

On  October  20,  1864,  in  Green  Bay, 
Wis.,  Mr.  Lieg  married  Miss  Gertrude 
Bibelhausen,  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
February  18,  1844.  When  a  child  she 
came  to  the  United  States  with  her  father, 
John  Bibelhausen,  who  engaged  in  farming 
in  DePere  township.  Brown  Co. ,  Wis.     For 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPEWAL   RECORD. 


"5 


four  years  Mr.  Lieg  continued  his  connec- 
tion with  the  brickyard,  then  worked  as  a 
gardener  in  the  summer  and  chopped  cord 
wood  in  the  winter.  He  also  clerked  for 
two  winters  in  a  store  there,  purchasing  a 
house  on  Main  street  near  Rahr's  brewery, 
and  kept  boarders.  In  1871  he  came  to 
Shawano — traveling  by  stage — and  here 
worked  as  a  gardener,  while  his  wife  con- 
ducted a  little  store,  beginning  with  a  capi- 
tal of  only  $60.  In  the  fall  of  1871  they  re- 
turned to  Green  Bay,  where  for  a  short 
time  Mr.  Lieg  was  employed  as  overseer  of 
a  gang  of  men.  In  the  spring  of  1872  he 
again  came  to  Shawano,  and  purchasing 
twenty-two  acres  of  land  began  the  manu- 
facture of  brick.  He  had  disposed  of  his 
property  in  Green  Bay,  and  now  had  a  cap- 
ital of  $1, 100;  but  the  new  business  proved 
a  failure,  and  left  him  with  only  $200. 
With  this  he  began  merchandising,  at  first 
renting  his  store  room,  but  after  thirteen 
days  he  purchased  it.  He  first  opened  with 
a  stock  of  groceries,  and  subsequently  add- 
ed dry  goods,  later  developing  a  general 
store.  At  first  the  family  lived  in  the  store 
room  which  was  40  x  20  feet,  as  they  did 
not  wish  to  go  beyond  their  means;  but  as 
time  passed  prosperity  attended  the  new 
undertaking,  and  to-day  the  establishment 
is  one  of  the  best  mercantile  houses  in 
Shawano,  occupying  as  it  does  a  brick  build- 
ing 82  X  20  feet. 

The  firm  of  Anton  Lieg  &  Son  have  car- 
ried on  a  successful  business,  and  fair  and 
honorable  dealing,  courteous  treatment  and 
earnest  desire  to  please  their  patrons  have 
been  the  important  factors  in  their  success. 
Theirs  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  firms 
in  Shawano,  and  in  connection  with  general 
merchandising,  they  are  interested  in  the 
Shawano  Water  Power  and  River  Improve- 
ment Co.,  the  Shawano  Shoe  Factory,  and 
the  Shawano  County  Bank.  The  business 
history  of  this  locality  would  be  incomplete 
without  the  record  of  their  lives,  for  they 
have  greatly  promoted  commercial  activity 
in  this  region,  and  while  promoting  individual 
prosperity  have  advanced  the  material  wel- 
fare of  the  community. 

While  living  in  Green  Bay,  the  follow- 
ing   children    were  born   to    Mr.    and    Mrs. 


Lieg:  Catherine  who  died  in  infancy;  John 
A.,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Lieg  &  Son; 
John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  and 
Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten.  Since 
coming  to  Shawano  the  family  circle  has 
been  increased  by  the  birth  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  Catherine  and  Frank,  who 
are  employed  in  their  father's  store;  Charles,  , 
who  died  in  infancy;  Peter  and  Joseph,  at 
home.  In  politics,  Mr.  Anton  Lieg  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat,  and  served  as  alder- 
man for  five  years,  but  has  never  been  a  politi- 
cian in  the  sense  of  office  seeking.  In 
religious  belief  he  is  a  Catholic,  and  helped 
to  build  the  beautiful  church  in  Shawano. 
He  also  belongs  to  St.  Bonifacius  Society 
of  Green  Bay. — [Since  the  above  was  writ- 
ten Mr.  Anton  Lieg  died  at  his  home  August 
12,  1895.] 

John  A.  Lieg,  the  wide-awake  and 
enterprising  young  business  man  of  the  firm, 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Shawano,  and  has  been  connected  with  the 
mercantile  store  here  from  the  beginning. 
He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  for  two  years. 


GOTTLIEB  KUSSMANN,  now  one 
of  the  wealthiest  and  most  prosper- 
ous citizens  of  Stockton  township, 
Portage  county,  has  not  always  en- 
joyed the  comforts  of  his  present  life.  He 
can  look  back  over  many  years  of  hardships 
and  struggles,  more  perhaps  than  fall  to  the 
lot  of  most  men,  and  through  them  all  he 
can  trace  the  threads  which  have  guided  him 
upward  to  a  plane  considerably  above  the 
high-water  mark  of  restless  want.  Those 
threads  are  patience,  steadiness  of  purpose, 
industry  and  good  management. 

Mr.  Kussmann  was  born  in  Prussia,  May 
20,  1833.  His  father,  John  Kussmann,  was 
a  common  laborer,  who  owned  a  small  piece 
of  land,  and  had  five  sons  and  one  daughter 
to  support — Christian,  Peter,  John,  Gott- 
lieb, William  and  Regina.  With  little 
schooling  the  boys  were  early  put  to  work. 
Gottlieb  at  ten  years  of  age  began  herding 
I  cattle,  and  a  little  later  sheep.  His  earn- 
'  ings  barely  sufficed  for  a  scanty  livelihood. 
At  seventeen  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  tailor, 


ii6 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  for  three  and  a  quarter  years  received 
no  wages.  Following  his  trade  for  a  few 
years,  conducting  a  shop  of  his  own  for  one 
and  a  half  years,  he  saved  a  few  dollars  with 
which  he  resolved  to  pay  his  passage  to 
America.  In  Germany  he  saw  no  hope  of 
attaining  a  home.  Bidding  farewell  to 
friends  he  took  passage  August  lo,  1856,  at 
Hamburg,  in  the  sailing  vessel  "  Elizabeth," 
bound  for  New  York.  An  incident  at  sea 
was  a  collision  with  another  craft  in  mid- 
ocean,  resulting  not  more  seriously,  fortun- 
ately, than  in  the  loss  of  a  mast.  Another 
feature  of  the  trip  was  that  aboard  was  the 
young  woman  whom  Gottlieb  afterward 
made  his  wife.  She  too,  with  her  mother, 
stepfather  and  brothers  and  sisters  was 
journeying  to  a  land  of  greater  opportunities. 
After  six  weeks  and  two  days  the  ' '  Eliza- 
beth "  reached  New  York.  Gottlieb's  in- 
tended destination  was  Montello,  Marquette 
Co.,  Wis.,  where  friends  lived.  At  Green 
Lake  Prairie  he  struck  his  first  job,  and  for 
si.x  weeks'  work  received  fifteen  dollars, 
which  was  paid  in  gold  dollars,  queer  little 
coins  indeed  as  they  seemed  to  the  German 
boy.  During  the  winter  he  worked  at  his 
trade,  and  May  3,  1857,  came  to  Stevens 
Point  by  team.  En  route  he  spied  some 
Indians,  and  the  aborigines  frightened  him 
somewhat.  Stevens  Point  was  then  a  primi- 
tive village,  and  pine  trees  stood  in  the  pub- 
lic square.  Gottlieb  secured  work  with  a 
farmer,  Dewey  Brown. 

In  June,  1857,  Mr.  Kussmann  was  mar- 
ried, at  Stevens  Point,  to  Henriette  Heiman, 
his  sweetheart  on  the  "Elizabeth."  She 
was  born  in  Germany  June  25,  1834.  Dur- 
ing the  harvesting  season  he  visited  Green 
Lake  Prairie,  and  in  the  fall  returning  to 
Stevens  Point  worked  at  his  trade.  With 
his  brother  he  ran  the  river  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1858,  making  four  trips  to  Galena, 
111.,  Alton,  111.,  and  Dubuque,  Iowa.  They 
had  several  narrow  escapes  from  drowning. 
For  twelve  years  Mr.  Kussmann  worked 
land  he  had  rented,  then,  about  1870,  he 
bought  on  credit  120  acres  in  Section  18, 
Stockton  township,  only  ten  acres  of  which 
had  been  broken,  and  it  was  destitute  of 
buildings.  Where  his  house  now  stands 
were  large  oak  trees.     Mr.  Kussmann  erect- 


ed buildings,  and  has  ever  since  resided  on 
this  farm,  adding  to  it  until  it  now  includes 
240  acres.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kussmann  were 
born  the  following  children:  Julius,  a  farmer 
of  Lanark  township;  Anna,  who  married 
Frank  Pollard,  and  died  in  Stockton  town- 
ship; John,  a  farmer,  of  Stockton  township; 
Samuel,  at  home;  Fred,  a  grain  buyer  of 
Fall  Creek,  Eau  Claire  Co.,  Wis.;  Lena, 
now  Mrs.  Rupert  Ward,  of  Stockton  town- 
ship; Ernest,  at  home. 

For  two  years  after  coming  to  America 
Mr.  Kussmann  was  a  Democrat.  He  has 
ever  since  been  a  Republican,  and  all  his 
sons  are  Republicans.  He  has  never  sought 
office,  but  one  year  served  as  path  master. 
Himself  and  family  are  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church  at  Stevens  Point.  In  the 
early  days  he  hauled  wheat  with  ox-teams  to 
Berlin,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  and  sold  it 
for  from  30  to  40  cents  a  bushel,  and  other 
pioneer  experiences  were  on  a  par  with  this 
one.  He  is  now  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
of  the  township,  and  no  family  is  more  high- 
ly respected  than  his. 


JAMES  O'CONNOR,  deceased.  While 
transmitting  to  posterity  the  memory 
of  such  men  as  was  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  it  will  instill  into  the  minds  of 
our  children  the  important  lessons  that  honor 
and  station  are  the  sure  reward  of  continual 
exertion;  and  that,  compared  to  indomitable 
will  power,  abundant  experience,  coupled 
with  habits  of  honest  industry  and  judicious 
economy,  the  greatest  fortune  would  be  but 
a  poor  inheritance. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  born  April  19,  1853,  in  Mar- 
quette county,  to  Edward  and  Bridget 
(O'Connor)  O'Connor,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Ireland,  whence  when  a  young 
man  he  emigrated  to  Canada,  where  he  mar- 
ried, and  where  his  four  eldest  children — 
Margaret,  Catherine,  Thomas  and  Timothy 
— were  born,  of  whom  Margaret  and  Cath- 
erine died  when  young;  the  other  two  chil- 
dren in  the  family — James  and  Charles — 
were  born  in  \\^isconsin.  Early  in  1853 
the  family  came  to  the  "Badger  State," 
the  father  having  been   attracted   hither  by 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


1.7 


the  bright  promises  held  out  for  the  then 
young  State,  and  here,  in  Marquette  county, 
near  the  county  seat,  they  settled  on  a  farm, 
which,  by  cultivation,  they  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  perfection.  Here  the  mother 
died  in  1874,  the  father  afterward  passing 
away  in  Portage  City,  Wis.  Thomas,  their 
eldest  son,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army, 
and  died  while  in  the  service. 

James,  the  third  son,  and  the  subject 
proper  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  received  his  education  at 
the  district  school  of  the  neighborhood,  re- 
maining at  home  until  the  death  of  his 
mother,  when  he  moved  to  Lincoln  county, 
locating  in  what  was  then  known  as  the 
village  of  Jenny,  now  the  bustling  city  of 
Merrill,  and  for  several  years  worked  in  the 
lumber  woods.  He  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  J.  N.  Cotter,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Cotter  &  O'Connor,  in  the  logging  and 
lumbering  and  real-estate  businesses,  which 
continued  until  the  spring  of  1886,  when  the 
death  of  Mr.  O'Connor,  which  occurred 
April  20,  severed  the  partnership.  He  was 
reared  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and 
died  in  same.  Politically  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  no  office-seeker,  simply  quietly  re- 
cording his  vote  at  the  polls  according  to  the 
dictates  of  his  conscience. 

On  January  i,  1884,  Mr.  O'Connor  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Prue  Cotter, 
who  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  N.  Y. , 
a  daughter  of  John  Cotter,  and  the  result  of 
this  union  is  one  child,  Prue  L.  O'Connor, 
who  is  brightening  the  home  of  her  widowed 
mother,  in  Merrill.  As  a  representative  self- 
made  man  Mr.  O'Connor  in  his  day  had  few 
equals,  and  he  deserved  the  highest  credit 
for  the  success  he  secured  within  the  short 
twelve  years  of  his  experience  in  Lincoln 
county — from  the  time  he  came  here  with  all 
his  worldly  effects  contained  in  a  small  par- 
cel to  the  day  death  summoned  him  from 
his  labors. 


C  ROWEL  W.  WHITE,  in  his  varied 
but  successful  career  as  farmer,  lum- 
berman and  merchant  in  the  Upper 
Wisconsin    Valley,  has    run    almost 
the  entire  gamut  of  fortune  from  the  pinch- 


ing poverty  of  the  struggling  pioneer,  labor- 
ing without  adequate  tools,  to  the  affluence 
which  is  the  fruitage  of  his  many  years  of 
intelligent  and  determined  effort.  He  was 
born  at  Locke,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Novem- 
ber 27,  1 8 19,  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine 
(Moyer)  White,  both  natives  of  the  Empire 
State.  Joseph  was  the  son  of  John  White, 
a  farmer,  and  had  nine  children:  Crowel 
W. ;  Harriet,  who  died  in  Michigan;  Phcebe, 
now  Mrs.  Deporter,  of  Michigan;  Adonijah, 
a  blacksmith  and  farmer,  in  New  York; 
William,  by  trade  a  shoemaker,  now  living 
in  Iowa;  Emily,  widow  of  William  Kline,  a 
jeweler;  Achsah,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years;  John,  by  trade  an  engineer, 
living  in  Pennsylvania;  and  one  child  who 
died  in  infancy. 

As  the  eldest  child  of  this  family  Crowel 
W.  White  was  deprived  of  the  opportunity 
for  a  good  education.  He  attended  school 
during  winters  until  he  was  twelve  years  of 
age,  and  was  then  "  buckled  into  the  collar." 
His  father  owned  fifty  acres  of  poor  land, 
and  was  engaged  principally  in  lime  burning 
rather  than  farming.  Crowel  helped  his 
father  until  he  was  sixteen,  then  worked  for 
E.  Newman  one  summer  for  twelve  dollars 
per  month.  He  then  hired  out  to  the  same 
man  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  for 
his  board  and  clothes,  and  for  $100  and  two 
suits  of  clothes,  to  be  paid  when  the  term  of 
service  expired  His  mother  had  died  in 
1833,  when  Crowel  was  still  at  home.  After 
his  children  had  all  left  the  homestead  the 
father  married  a  widow,  Mrs.  Towne,  and 
died  about  1870. 

Reaching  his  majority  and  receiving  the 
promised  stipend  from  Mr.-  Newman,  Mr. 
White  drove  team  six  months  on  railroad 
construction  in  Allegany  county,  N.  Y. ,  then 
scored  timber  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1842  he 
went  to  Galena,  111.,  and  mined  for  two 
years,  then  in  1844  moved  to  Grand  Rapids, 
Wis. ,  and  for  several  years  followed  saw- 
milling  and  lumbering.  Here  he  was  mar- 
ried, October  3,  1848,  to  Elizabeth  P. 
Anthony,  born  in  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. , 
Novemljer  9,  1826,  daughter  of  Abraham 
and  Mary  (Allen)  Anthony,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York,  the  latter  of  Massa- 
chusetts.     Abraham   Anthonv,    who    was   a 


iiS 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


farmer,  reared  a  family  of  four  children: 
Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Allen  and  Mary,  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Mr.  White,  being  the  only  sur- 
vivor. In  1844  Abraham  Anthony  purchased 
and  moved  upon  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  in 
Dane  county.  Wis.,  which  he  engaged  in 
clearing,  but  several  years  later  moved  to 
Grand  Rapids,  and  there  embarked  in  the 
lumber  business.  About  1853  he  returned 
to  Dane  county,  and  in  1S58  sold  his  farm 
and  came  to  Almond  township.  Portage 
county,  where  he  and  his  wife  lived  with 
their  daughter  and  son-in-law.  Mr.  An- 
thony was  instantly  killed  by  lightning,  and 
his  wife  died  nine  days  later,  from  the  effects 
of  the  same  shock. 

After  his  marriage  Crowel  W.  White  re- 
mained in  Grand  Rapids  until  the  spring  of 
1853,  when  he  moved  to  Almond  township. 
He  purchased  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  in 
Section  7,  now  owned  by  Joseph  Springer, 
and  lived  two  months  with  a  neighbor,  until 
a  log  shanty,  12  x  12,  could  be  built.  They 
moved  into  this,  and  in  turn  gave  shelter  to 
another  family,  the  two  families  numbering 
twelve  people.  In  the  fall  a  frame  house 
was  built,  which  still  stands.  Mr.  White 
had  brought  with  him  a  team  of  horses,  but 
he  was  without  farming  implements,  and  the 
work  of  breaking  the  land  proceeded  slowly. 
It  was  only  by  the  hard  and  toilsome  efforts 
of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White,  aided  by  their 
children,  that  they  succeeded.  After  twelve 
years  on  the  farm  Mr.  White  returned  to 
Grand  Rapids,  and  for  about  seven  years 
quite  profitably  conducted  a  meat  market. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
trade  for  thrfee  years,  also  very  successfully. 
Returning  to  Almond  township,  where  he 
then  owned  160  acres,  he  built  a  store  at 
Lone  Pine,  and  engaged  in  general  trading. 
Three  years  later  he  erected  a  commodious 
two-story  residence  16x24,  with  two  one- 
and-one-half-story  Ls,  each  16x24,  sold  his 
business,  and  moved  to  the  farm.  Again 
taking  charge  of  the  store,  he  sold  it  after- 
ward to  Michael  Curtis,  whose  widow  now 
conducts  it.  Mr.  White  now  owns  an  ex- 
cellent farm  of  200  acres.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  has  for  three  years  been 
a  member  of  the  side  board.  Four  children 
have   been    born   to    Mr.    and    Mrs.    White: 


Alonzo  A.,  born  July  22,  1850,  died  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years;  S.  Melissa,  born  July 
27,  1852,  died  aged  five  years;  Emma  A., 
born  August  30,  1854,  and  Bert  E.,  born 
March  27,  1868.  The  two  j'ounger  children 
have  always  remained  at  home,  and  have 
been  of  great  assistance  to  their  parents. 


JULIUS  THIELMAN.     Amongwell-to- 
do  citizens  of  Merrill,  Lincoln  county, 
not  the  least  worthy  of  special  mention 
in  the  pages  of  this  volume  is  the  gen- 
tleman whose  name  here   appears,  who  is  a 
thoroughly  representative,  progressive  Ger- 
man-American. 

He  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  in 
Watertown,  Jefferson  county,  September  20, 
i860,  a  son  of  Gottfried  and  Julia  (Baum) 
Thielman,  natives  of  Prussia,  Germany, 
where  the  father  was  born,  in  1829,  and 
where  they  were  married.  They  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1852,  making  their 
home  in  Watertown,  Wis.,  where  the  fa- 
ther followed  the  business  of  contractor  and 
builder,  for  many  years  also  being  employed 
on  the  Chicago,  l^Iilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  rail- 
road. In  1888  he  came  to  Merrill,  Lincoln 
count}',  where  he  and  his  wife  are  at  present 
residing.  To  them  were  born  eleven  chil- 
dren, named  respectively:  Alvina,  Louisa, 
Julius,  Emil,  Albert,  Robert,  Helen,  Louis, 
Theodore,  Amanda,  and  Mollie.  Julius, 
the  subject  proper  of  this  article,  received 
his  education  at  the  common  schools  of 
Watertown,  Wis.,  and  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  butch- 
er. When  eighteen  years  old,  in  1S78,  he 
started  in  the  same  line  of  business  for  him- 
self at  Grand  Rapids,  Wis. ,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  the  spring  of  1881,  when  he  sold 
out  there,  and,  coming  to  Merrill,  opened  out 
a  first-class  butchering  establishment,  the 
business  of  which  has  since  so  increased 
that  now  he  has  two  leading  markets  in  that 
city,  besides  one  in  the  city  of  Tomahawk, 
in  the  same  county;  these  are,  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  say,  retail  establishments,  and  in  ad- 
dition he  does  a  lucrative  wholesale  business. 
On  April  20,  1879,  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Wis.,  Mr.  Thielman  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie    Plahmcr,    a     native    of    German\', 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


H9 


whose  parents,  John  and  Carolina  (Knutt) 
Plahmer,  came  with  their  nine  children  to 
America  in  1870,  settling  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Wis.,  where  the  father  followed  farming 
pursuits.  He  is  now  living  in  the  town  of 
Grant,  near  Grand  Rapids.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thielman  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: Amanda,  Lillian,  and  William.  In 
politics  our  subject  is  a  strong  Democrat, 
active  at  all  times  in  the  workings  of  the 
part}',  and  for  three  years  he  was  chairman 
of  the  Democratic  County  Central  Commit- 
tee; was  mayor  of  Merrill  one  year;  chair- 
man of  the  county  board  of  supervisors,  and 
alderman  two  terms.  In  July,  1893,  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  at  Merrill,  an  office  in 
which  he  gives  unbounded  satisfaction,  and 
each  and  every  one  of  these  incumbencies 
he  has  filled  with  scrupulous  integrity.  For 
six  3ears  he  was  secretary  of  the  Central 
Manufacturing  Co.,  which  establishment 
burned  in  May,  1S94,  and  he  is  a  director 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Merrill.  In 
religious  faith  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Thielman  is  a  typical  self-made  man, 
one  whose  only  capital,  when  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  he  vaulted  into  the  arena  of  busi- 
ness life,  was  naught  save  a  level  head,  a 
stout  heart  and  a  willing  pair  of  hands,  and 
bearing  for  his  motto  the  words:  "Fort una 
fai-ct  fort! bus. "  He  is  now  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  of  Merrill,  is  a  power  in 
his  party,  and  a  leader  in  the  development 
of  all  enterprises  tending  to  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  city  of  his  adoption — a 
typical  Western  man.  Without  ostenta- 
tion, either  in  their  manner  or  style  of  life, 
he  and  his  amiable  life  partner  always  main- 
tain a  high  social  position,  and  are  at  all 
times  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  highest 
esteem  and  regard  of  the  community  in 
which  they  live. 


JOHN   H.   LIVINGSTON  began  life  in 
the  Upper  Wisconsin  Valley  under  the 
most  unpropitious  circumstances.    The 
burdens  of  unusual  responsibilities  had 
been  thrown  upon  his  young  shoulders.    As  a 
boy  he  helped  to  support  his  widowed  mother 
and  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters.    When 


eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  Wisconsin 
with  his  mother  and  her  four  younger  chil- 
dren, supporting  them  by  his  daily  labor. 
Four  years  later  he  entered  forty  acres  of 
land  in  Almond  township.  Portage  county, 
but  was  too  poor  to  pay  for  an  axe  with 
which  to  clear  the  farm.  But  Mr.  Living- 
ston has  overcome  all  difficulties.  He  has 
successfully  passed  the  trying  ordeal  of  those 
stern,  forbidding  years,  and  is  now  one  of  Al- 
mond township's  most  prosperous  farmers. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  struggle  and  triumph. 
Mr.  Livingston  was  born  in  Chazy,  Clin- 
ton Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  3,  1832,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Polly  (Newman)  Livingston.  The 
grandfather  of  Polly  Newman  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  William  Liv- 
ingston was  a  blacksmith  and  a  native  of 
Milton,  Vt.,  son  of  Rensselaer  and  Mary  Liv- 
ingston. Rensselaer  was  also  a  blacksmith, 
and  from  him  his  son,  William,  learned 
his  trade.  After  marriage  William  and  Polly 
Livingston  migrated  from  Vermont  to  Clin- 
ton county,  N.  Y.  They  had  ten  children: 
Harriet,  deceased  wife  of  Alexander  Irwin, 
a  merchant  of  Knowlton;  Olive,  deceased 
wife  of  Cludius  McLaughlin,  a  farmer,  of 
Oasis,  Waushara  county;  Catherine,  de- 
ceased wife  of  William  Fellows,  a  mer- 
chant of  Stevens  Point;  John  H. ;  Frederick, 
deceased;  Marj',  deceased  wife  of  Silas  S. 
Walsworth,  a  lumberman,  of  Stevens  Point; 
Ardelia,  now  Mrs.  Mott,  of  Oklahoma;  Nor- 
man, deceased;  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
William  Livingston  died  about  1845,  when 
John  H.,  the  eldest  son,  was  only  thirteen 
years  old.  He  had  little  opportunity  for  an 
education,  and  began  work  at  25  cents  per 
day;  but  a  little  later  secured  a  position  in  an 
hotel  at  $10  per  month.  Remaining  there 
three  years,  he  saved  enough  money  to  buy 
a  small  home  and  a  cow  for  his  mother. 
They  remained  there  until  1850,  when  he 
concluded  to  bring  his  mother  and  her  four 
younger  children  to  Stevens  Point.  Here 
he  rented  a  house  and  secured  work  at  raft- 
ing at  $1.50  per  day,  which  seemed  like  a 
fortune.  Remaining  at  Stevens  Point  four 
years,  he  in  1854  purchased  forty  acres  in 
Almond  township,  buying  a  claim  from  one 
Robert  Huston.  It  contained  a  small  log 
house,  16  X  24,  which  stood  just  back  of  Mr. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Livingston's  present  residence,  and  to  this 
habitation  he  brought  his  mother's  family. 
He  had  no  team;  he  purchased  an  axe  on 
credit,  and  began  the  work  of  clearing  up 
the  oak  openings  of  his  little  farm.  The 
first  crop,  a  diversified  one,  consisting  of 
wheat,  corn,  oats  and  potatoes,  yielded  well, 
and  he  was  soon  the  happy  possessor  of  an 
ox-team.  He  added  gradually  to  his  farm 
until  it  grew  to  240  acres  of  well-cultivated 
land.  Polly  (Newman)  Livingston,  wife  of 
William  Livingston,  died  at  Stevens  Point 
in  1882.  Our  subject  was  married,  March 
3.  1869,  to  Laura  M.  Hinkley,  born  in  Con- 
necticut January  13,  1842,  daughter  of 
Lucius  and  Laura  (Waterman)  Hinkley. 

Mrs.  Laura  M.  (Hinkley)  Livingston  is  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Samuel  Hinkley,  who 
was  the  ancestor  of  all  of  the  name  in  Ameri- 
ca, coming  in  the  spring  of  1635  to  New 
England,  with  his  wife  Sarah,  and  four  chil- 
dren, the  voyage  from  the  mother  country 
being  made  in  the  ship,  "  Hercules,"  Capt. 
John  Witherly.  They  landed  at  Boston,  and 
settled  at  Scituate,  a  town  situated  about 
thirty  miles  from  Boston,  but  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  old  Plymouth  Colony.  In 
1639  he  removed  with  all  his  family  and  ef- 
fects to  Barnstable,  on  Cape  Cod,  being  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  that  town.  His  first 
wife  (Sarah)  died  in  Barnstable,  August  18, 
1656,  and  December  15,  1657,  he  married 
Mrs.  Bridget  Bodfish,  widow  of  Robert  Bod- 
fish,  of  Sandwich.  Samuel  Hinkley  died  in 
Barnstable  October  31,  1662,  leaving  a  large 
landed  estate.  The  homestead  remained  in 
the  possession  of  the  family  until  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century,  the  last 
occupant  being  Squire  Isaac  Hinkley. 

Thomas  Hinkley,  eldest  in  the  family  of 
eleven  children  of  Samuel  Hinkley  (all  by 
his  first  wife  Sarah),  was  born  in  England, 
in  161 8,  and  came  with  his  father  to  New 
England.  He  was  twice  married,  first  time 
December  4,  1640,  to  Mary  Richards,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Welthean  (Loring)  Rich- 
ards, of  Weymouth,  Mass.  She  died  De- 
cember 4,  1659,  and  for  his  second  wife 
Thomas  Hinkley  was  married  March  16, 
1660,  to  Mrs.  Mary  (Smith)  Glover,  widow 
of  Nathaniel  Glover,  of  Dorchester,  Mass. 
She  was  born  at  Toxteth  Park,  Lancashire, 


England,  July  20,  1630,  and  died  at  Barns- 
table, Mass.,  July  29,  1703.  Thomas  Hink- 
ley died  at  Barnstable  April  25,  1705,  aged 
eighty-seven  years.  He  was  a  lawyer  by 
profession,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  influential  men  of  his  day,  having  been 
a  deputy  magistrate,  governor's  assistant, 
commissioner  of  the  confederated  colonies  of 
New  England,  and  governor  of  Plymouth 
Colony.  He  had  seventeen  children  in  all 
— eight  by  his  first  wife,  and  nine  by  his 
second. 

Samuel  Hinkley,  son  of  the  above  and 
his  first  wife  (and  fifth  in  the  order  of  birth), 
was  born  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  February  14, 
1652,  and  died  at  Barnstable  (Great  Marsh- 
es) March  19,  1687.  He  was  married  No- 
vember 13,  1676,  to  Sarah  Pope,  of  Sand- 
wich, Mass.,  daughter  of  John  Pope,  and 
they  had  a  family  of  ten  children.  She  sur- 
vived her  husband,  and  married  again,  after 
which  the  family  of  children  removed  to 
Harwich,  a  town  situated  about  twelve  miles 
from  Barnstable,  lower  down  toward  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  Cape. 

Thomas  Hinkley,  third  child  of  Samuel 
and  Sarah  (Pope)  Hinkley,  was  born  at 
Barnstable  March  19,  1681,  removed  to  Har- 
wich, as  above  related,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried to  Mercy .      [The  family  history  is 

here  incomplete.]  Thomas  appears  to  have 
died  young,  probably  in  17 10,  as  administra- 
tion on  his  estate  was  granted  to  his  widow 
October  11,   17 10. 

Thomas  Hinkley,  second  child  of  Thom- 
as and  Mercy  Hinkley,  was  born  at  Harwich, 
Mass.,  March  11,  1708-09,  and  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade.  He  was  thrice  mar- 
ried: first  time  March  31,  1730,  to  Ruth  My- 
rick,  of  Harwich;  second  wife  was  Lydia 
Nickerson,  of  Chatham,  married  March  17, 
1765;  third  wife  was  Hannah  Severance,  of 
Harwich.  [The  family  record  is  again  in- 
complete.] 

Seth  Hinkley,  eldest  child  of  Thomas 
and  Ruth  (Myrick)  Hinkley,  was  born  at 
Harwich,  Mass.,  September  2, 1730,  and  died 
at  Hardwick,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  April 
21,  1797.  He  was  married  in  Harwich  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1755,  to  Sarah  Berry,  daughter  of 
Judah  Berry,  and  who  died  in  Hardwick 
Aprils,  1 81 3,  aged  eighty-one  years.    They 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


appear  to  have  removed  to  Hardwick  soon 
after  marriage,  as  the  births  of  all  of  their 
eight  children  are  recorded  here.  [They 
were  the  great-grandparents  of  Lucius  Hink- 
ley.] 

Scottoway  Hinkley,  seventh  child  of  the 
eight  children  of  Seth  and  Sarah  (Berry) 
Hinkley,  was  born  at  Hardwick,  Mass., 
April  lo,  1 77 1,  settled  in  Vernon,  Conn., 
and  there  married  Eunice  Kellogg,  who  was 
born  November  15,  1773,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Ebenezer  and  Hannah  (Wright)  Kellogg. 
He  died  in  Vernon,  in  August,  1849;  his 
wife  passed  away  in  November,  1823.  He 
was  a  physician,  and  a  very  large  man,  weigh- 
ing, it  is  said,  300  pounds.  They  had  six 
children. 

Lucius  Hinkley,  eldest  of  the  six  chil- 
dren born  to  Dr.  Scottoway  and  Eunice 
(Kellogg)  Hinkley,  was  born  in  Vernon, 
Conn.,  September  6,  1799,  married  at  Bol- 
ton, Conn.,  November  9,  1830,  to  Miss 
Laura  (Waterman),  born  at  the  same  place 
in  February,  1805,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Anna  Waterman.  Lucius  Hinkley  was  a 
manufacturer  of  woolen  goods,  merchant 
and  farmer.  He  removed  from  Connecticut 
to  Troy,  N.  Y. ,  about  1842,  and  became  a 
grocer.  Ten  years  later  he  came  to  Wau- 
pun.  Wis.,  and  in  1855  to  Pine  Grove 
township.  Portage  county,  where  he  pre- 
empted a  farm  of  160  acres  and  erected  a 
one-story  log  house,  I4.\  24,  into  which  he 
moved  with  his  family.  The  parents  in 
1 872  removed  from  Pine  Grove  township 
to  Marcus,  Iowa,  where  Mr.  Hinkley  died, 
April  23  1883;  his  wife,  November  16, 
1893.  They  had  six  children,  their  names 
and  dates  of  birth  being  as  follows:  Jane 
Gray,  December  2,  1831;  Lucius  Dwight, 
November  8,  1834;  Julian  Wisner,  March 
12,  1838;  Laura  Maria,  January  13,  1842; 
Mary  Amelia,  February  14,  1844;  and 
Myron  Edward,  February  15,  1846.  Of 
these,  Jane  G.  is  married  to  William  H. 
Wilson,  and  resides  in  Milwaukee;  Lucius 
D.  is  a  dealer  in  pumps  and  windmills  at 
Waupun;  Julian  W.  is  a  contractor  and 
builder,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  Laura  M. 
is  the  wife  of  John  H.  Livingston;  Mary  A. 
died  in  1894;  and  Myron  E.  is  a  nursery- 
man at  Marcus,  Iowa. 


The  children  born  to  John  H.  and  Laura 
M.  Livingston  are  Stacia,  born  April  16, 
1870,  a  student  at  Oshkosh;  Olive,  born 
December  2,  i87[,  a  school  teacher  at 
Plainfield;  Zella,  born  December  27,  1876, 
a  student  at  Oshkosh;  Ralph  Allen,  born 
March  26,  1885.  In  politics  Mr.  Living- 
ston is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  side  board,  and  for  twenty- 
two  years  has  been  school  treasurer.  He 
is  now  vice-president  of  the  Stockton  In- 
surance Company. 


ADELBERT  D.  ROGERS.  Many 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  Wisconsin 
are  the  descendants  of  pioneers. 
From  the  New  England  and  other 
Eastern  States  the  more  active  and  enter- 
prising element  of  society  migrated  to  the 
outposts  of  civilization,  and  by  successive 
waves  of  migration  extended  farther  and 
farther  westward.  It  was  so  with  the  Rog- 
ers family.  It  settled  originally  in  Vermont. 
Then  many  years  ago  its  representatives 
sought  Western  homes  in  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.  Another  movement  brought  the 
family  to  the  wilderness  of  Wisconsin,  in 
Almond  township,  Portage  county. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  August  4,  1844,  son  of  Orim 
and  Velinda  (Wood)  Rogers.  Orim  Rogers 
was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  in  his  earlier 
years  had  moved  to  New  York,  where  he  en- 
gaged successfully  in  farming  and  dairying. 
He  had  four  children:  Caroline,  now  Mrs. 
Albert  Wood,  of  Almond  township;  George, 
also  of  Almond  township;  Sarah,  wife  of 
Edwin  Forsyth,  a  carpenter,  of  New  York; 
and  Adelbert  D.  Sarah,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen years,  had  married  Mr.  Forsyth. 
The  other  children  were  still  at  home  in 
1855,  when  the  parents  sold  their  New 
York  property  and  came  to  Almond  town- 
ship, Portage  Co.,  Wis.  Here  Orim  Rog- 
ers purchased  eighty  acres  of  government 
land  in  Section  18,  paying  $1.25  per  acre 
for  it;  it  was  wild  land,  innocent  of  any  im- 
provement whatever.  For  a  time  the  family 
lived  with  Albert  Wood,  but  in  the  spring 
of  1856  they  built  a  frame  house,  16x24, 
in    which   they    lived    about    twelve    years. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPMICAL  ItBCOM). 


Mr.  Rogers  had  purchased  a  yoke  of  oxen 
in  the  southern  part  of  Wisconsin,  and  drove 
through  to  the  new  home.  The  work  of 
breaking  the  land  began,  but  progressed  slow- 
ly at  first.  The  mother  at  one  time  received 
some  money  from  the  settlement  of  her  broth- 
er's estate,  and  contributed  the  amount  to  the 
general  welfare  of  the  family.  Mr.  Rogers 
added  forty  acres  to  his  original  purchase, 
and  remained  on  this  homestead  of  I20  acres 
until  his  death.  May  28,  1892,  he  dying  at 
the  age  of  eighty-two  years;  his  wife  died 
February  22,  1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years. 

Adelbert  D.  Rogers  received  only  a 
common-school  education.  He  was  ten 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Wisconsin,  and  he  has  ever  since  remain- 
ed on  the  home  farm,  assisting  in  breaking 
the  land  and  taking  charge'  of  the  farm 
since  the  death  of  his  mother.  He  has 
added  eighty  acres  to  the  land,  which  is 
now  a  well-improved  farm  of  196  acres. 
Mr.  Rogers  was  married  December  19,  1869, 
to  Eliza  Monday,  the  eldest  child  of  Ed- 
ward and  Emma  Monday,  of  Almond 
township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  two 
children  have  been  born:  Reuben  S.,  now  at 
home,  and  Lyman,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
ten  years.  Politically  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  thorough  and  successful 
farmer,  and  highly  respected  by  all  who 
know  him. 


M 


RS.    ARABELLA    BEGGS,    who 

now  conducts  a  large  and  excel- 
lent farm  in  Almond  township, 
Portage  county,  is  the  worthy 
representative  of  an  early  and  influential 
pioneer  family  of  this  locality. 

She  was  born  in  Freemansburg,  Penn., 
August  27,  1839,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and 
Caroline  (Merrill)  Roseberry.  Jeremiah 
Roseberry  was  born  in  Warren  county,  N. 
J.,  August  15,  1812,  son  of  Michael  and 
Margaret  fMackey)  Roseberry.  Caroline 
Merrill,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  the 
daughter  of  Otis  and  Susanna  (Ravenau) 
Merrill.  To  Jeremiah  and  Caroline  Rose- 
berry were  born  eleven  children,  as  follows: 
Freelove  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 


years;  Arabella,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Anna 
M.,  now  Mrs.  Leman  Pratt,  of  Minnesota; 
Charles  O.,  who  died  in  Andersonville  prison 
during  the  Civil  war;  Robert  I.,  a  farmer  of 
Pine  Grove  township;  George  A.,  deceased; 
Laura  J.,  now  Mrs.  William  Beggs,  of  Plain- 
field;  William  M.,  deceased;  John  A.,  de- 
ceased; Lillie  M.,  deceased;  Harriet,  now 
Mrs.  Everett  Beggs,  living  on  the  old  Rose- 
berry homestead  in  Pine  Grove  township. 
Jeremiah  Roseberry  was  a  physician,  practic- 
ing at  Alexandria,  Va. ,  in  1854.  Ill  health 
induced  him  to  abandon  his  profession,  and 
to  seek  renewed  strength  in  the  great  piner- 
ies of  the  Northwest.  Accordingly  in  that 
year  he  migrated  with  his  family  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  took  up  a  farm  in  Pine  Grove  town- 
ship. Portage  county,  of  1 50  acres  mostly 
covered  with  oak  openings.  Dr.  Roseberry 
remained  a  resident  of  the  farm  until  his 
death,  December  3,  1888,  at  the  age  seventy- 
six  years.  He  bore  a  high  reputation  for 
honesty  and  fair  dealing,  and  was  a  success- 
ful and  influential  citizen  of  the  new  coun- 
try, respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

Arabella  Roseberry  was  fifteen  years  of 
age  when  she  came  with  her  parents  to  Wis- 
consin. She  had  meager  opportunities  for 
a  finished  education,  yet  from  her  native  in- 
telligence, and  from  her  association  with  her 
father,  who  was  a  cultured  man,  she  fared 
much  better  by  way  of  education  than  many 
others  whose  lot  was  cast  in  the  pioneer 
land.  She  was  married  to  James  Beggs, 
and  with  him  began  housekeeping  on  his 
farm  in  Pine  Grove  township.  In  1864 
James  Beggs  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fifth 
Wis.  V.  I. ,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service 
at  Madison;  his  brother  Albert  was  in  the 
same  regiment.  The  regiment  was  pushed 
right  to  the  front,  and  at  Petersburg  Al- 
bert was  killed  by  a  Rebel  bullet.  James 
Beggs  served  in  Virginia  until  the  surrender 
of  Lee's  army,  the  crowning  victory  of 
Northern  arms,  which  was  witnessed  by  Mr. 
Beggs.  After  his  return  from  the  army  he 
bought  140  acres  of  land  in  Almond  town- 
ship. Portage  county,  which  is  a  portion  of 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Beggs.  He 
removed  there  with  his  wife,  and  engaged  in 
practical  farming,  adding  to  his  possessions 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOORAPEICAL    RECORD. 


"3 


until  at  the  time  of  his  death,  January  3, 
1890,  they  had  reached  200  acres.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Beggs  was  hastened  by  in- 
juries which  he  had  received  in  the  army. 
It  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  bereaved  wife 
and  family.  In  politics  Mr.  Beggs  was  a 
Democrat.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Beggs  are  Charles  A.,  a  bookkeeper  of  Plain- 
field;  Harmon  H.,  of  Almond  township;  and 
Frank  R.  The  latter  was  married  February 
22,  1892,  to  Miss  Maggie  Gould,  who  was 
born  in  Canada,  near  Ontario,  December 
29,  1 87 1 ,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Jane  (Liv- 
ingston) Gould,  whose  eight  children  are 
John,  Lizzie,  Jane,  Maggie,  William,  Margie, 
Mary  and  Lottie.  At  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage Maggie  Gould  was  a  school  teacher. 
Frank  R.  and  Maggie  Beggs  have  one  child, 
Genevieve. 


M 


AJOR  HENRY  CURRAN,  senior 
member  of  the  widely-known  firm 
of  H.  &  J.  D.  Curran,  the  popu- 
lar and  genial  proprietors  of  the 
"Curran  House,"  Stevens  Point,  Portage 
county,  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
born  in  Winnebago  county,  near  Mt.  Carroll, 
January  i,  1841. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  also 
named  Henry,  who  was  a  man  of  no  small 
degree  of  prominence,  descended  from  a  dis- 
tinguished family  in  Ireland,  and  was  a  well- 
to-do  agriculturist  in  that  country,  owning 
eighty  acres  of  land,  besides  renting  other 
farmsteads.  He  came  to  this  country  with 
his  family,  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  son 
John,  at  Plover,  Portage  Co.,  Wis.,  in  1849, 
at  a  very  advanced  age;  his  wife  had  prece- 
ded him  to  the  grave  in  Ireland.  John  Cur- 
ran, the  son  just  referred  to,  was  born 
in  County  Carlow,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1830,  locating  in  Illinois, 
near  Mt.  Carroll.  At  Galena,  in  that  State, 
he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Code,  a  native  of 
Missouri,  and  they  had  four  children.  The 
father  came  to  Plover,  Wis.,  in  1847,  be- 
coming an  Indian  trader  in  the  Wisconsin 
Valle)',  and  in  Plover  he  opened  a  general 
supply  store  which  he  operated  until  a  short 
time  before  his  death,  which   occurred   No- 


vember 2,  1852,  caused  by  neuralgia  of  the 
heart.  His  widow  died  in  June,  1S56,  and 
they  as  well  as  his  father,  sleep  their  last 
sleep  in  the  Plover  burying  ground.  They 
were  all  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  all  died  in  that  faith. 

The  subject  proper  of  this  memoir  re- 
ceived a  fair!}'  liberal  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Plover,  Wis. ,  and  at  the 
early  age  of  twelve  years  commenced  to 
"hustle"  for  himself.  When  fourteen  he 
began  lumbering,  part  of  his  duties  being 
the  running  of  lumber  down  the  Wisconsin 
river  as  far  as  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  and  he  so 
continued  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion  when  he  enlisted  May  10, 
1 86 1,  at  Madison,  Wis.,  in  company  E  (a 
Jeffersonville  company).  Fifth  Wis.  V.  I., 
which  soon  afterward  was  sent  to  the  front, 
the  first  active  hostilities  our  subject  partici- 
pated in  being  at  Centerville,  Va. ,  in  a  skir- 
mish with  the  enemy.  He  served  until  July, 
1864,  his  term  of  enlistment  then  expiring. 
Veteranizing,  he  re-enlisted  September  30, 
1864,  becoming  sergeant-major  of  the  re- 
organized  Fifth   Wis.  V.    I.,  in    December, 

1864,  in  which  he  was  promoted  to  second 
lieutenant    of    Company   A;    in     February, 

1865,  he  was  further  promoted  to  captain 
of  Company  G,  and,  finally,  after  the  battles 
of  Petersburg  and  Sailors  Creek,  "for  gal- 
lant and  meritorious  conduct,"  he  was  bre- 
vetted  major.  He  served  faithfully  and 
well  to  the  close  of  the  war,  being  mustered 
out  in  June,  1865.  Major  Curran  partici- 
pated in  all  the  battles  of  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  (except  that  of  first  Bull  Run)  up 
to  May  5,  1864,  the  day  he  was  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  a  minie 
ball  striking  him  in  the  left  leg  below  the 
knee,  which  laid  him  up  till  the  middle  of 
the  following  July;  he  was  also  injured  in 
the  same  battle,  on  the  stomach,  by  a  bullet 
striking  the  brass  plate  of  his  belt  with  ter- 
rific force,  causing  a  severe  and  painful  con- 
tusion; afterward,  from  November,  1864,  to 
the  close  of  the  campaign,  he  participated 
in  all  the  battles  fought  by  the  army  of  the 
Potomac.  The  brevet  commission  was  giv- 
en to  our  subject  for  the  following  acts  of 
bravery:  at  Petersburg  the  conunand  led  by 
him   was    the    first    to    yntcr  the    enemy's 


124 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


works  at  the  storming  of  the  place;  at 
Sailors  Creek,  Capt.  Curran  and  his  com- 
mand were  in  charge  of  the  skirmish  line  on 
the  enemy's  left,  when,  just  toward  the 
close  of  the  battle.  Gen.  Ewell,  of  the  Con- 
federate service,  and  staff  raised  a  white 
flag  as  a  signal  of  truce.  Thereupon  Capt. 
Curran  detailed  Sergt.  Cameron  of  Com- 
pany A  to  meet  Gen.  Ewell  and  see  what 
he  wanted;  the  sergeant  did  so,  and  returned 
with  Ewell  and  his  entire  staff  who  desired 
to  surrender,  and  were  accordingly  sent  to 
the  rear  to  report  to  Gen.  Wright  or  to  Gen. 
Sheridan,  and  soon  afterward  Ewell  surrend- 
ered with  his  army  of  7,000  men  (this  was 
April  6,  1865,  three  days  before  Gen.  Lee's 
surrender) ;  after  this  engagement  had  been  in 
progress  some  time,  Col.  T.  S.  Allen,  com- 
manding the  Fifth  Wis.  V.  I.,  asked  Capt. 
Curran  if  he  would  not  charge  the  enemy's 
skirmish  line,  and  drive  them  in  or  capture 
them,  to  which  the  Captain  responded  that  he 
"  would  try,"  so,  taking  Companies  G  andA, 
he  advanced  on  the  Rebels  in  skirmishing  or- 
der, drove  in  the  picket  line  and  took  many 
prisoners.  The  Major  participated  in  the 
Grand  Review  held  at  Washington  in  1865. 

On  returning  to  civil  life  Major  Curran 
resumed  citizenship  in  Portage  county,  first 
in  the  capacity  of  manager  of  "  Phelps' 
Hotel,  "  Stevens  Point,  so  continuing  until 
December  2,  1866,  when  he  bought  the 
hotel  he  has  since  successfully  conducted  in 
partnership  with  J.  D.  Curran.  On  October 
II,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Addie  Walker,  daughter  of  James 
Walker,  and  three  children  were  born  to 
them  as  follows:  John  D.,  a  graduate  of 
Stevens  Point  High  School,  also  of  St.  John's 
Military  Academy  at  Delafield,  Wis.,  and 
was  a  teacher  in  that  institution  for  two 
years  (he  is  now  attending  Wisconsin  State 
University);  Florence  Gratia  and  Henry,  Jr., 
both  at  home;  they  have  also  an  adopted 
son,  Russell  W.  Walker,  whom  they  reared 
as  their  own  from  the  age  of  two  years,  is 
now  a  resident  of  Astoria,  Oreg. ,  and  is 
studying  law. 

Major  Curran  is  a  Republican,  filled  the 
position  of  alderman  at  Stevens  Point  some 
fifteen  years,  and  is  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the   most    substantial    men    of     the   place. 


standing  high  in  the  community,  has  always 
been  active  in  politics  and  influential  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party. 


HERMAN  FELKER,  one  of  the 
progressive  young  farmers  of  Al- 
mond township.  Portage  county, 
lives  on  the  farm  from  which  the 
present  village  of  Almond  was  carved,  and 
which  was  settled  by  his  father,  Isaiah 
Felker,  over  forty  years  ago.  The  land 
was  partly  timbered  by  oak,  and  parti}' 
prairie,  and  hence  was  easily  cleared.  Mr. 
Felker  has  one  of  the  two  stump  machines 
that  are  owned  in  that  part  of  Portage 
county,  and  it  has  helped  greatly  in  prepar- 
ing the  land  for  cultivation.  Of  the  orig- 
inal 240  acres  which  the  father  possessed, 
Herman  now  owns  and  cultivates  120  acres. 
Isaiah  Felker,  the  father,  was  born  in 
Stratford,  Stratford  Co.,  N.  H.,  in  1820. 
He  was  well-educated,  and  in  his  younger 
days  was  a  school  superintendent  near  Bos- 
ton, Mass.  He  came  west  to  Wisconsin 
about  1854,  and  purchased  a  farm  in  Al- 
mond township,  and  also  a  half-interest  in 
a  hotel  where  the  village  of  Almond  now 
stands.  In  1857  he  was  married  to  Chris- 
tina Ferber,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Ger- 
man}', daughter  of  John  P.  and  Barbara 
(Buerkle)  Ferber,  the  eldest  of  whose  five 
children  is  Barbara,  now  Mrs.  Michael 
Milure,  of  Almond  township;  the  second, 
Elizabeth,  is  Mrs.  D.  Shafer,  of  Almond; 
the  third  is  Mrs.  Felker;  the  fourth,  Mary, 
now  Mrs.  George  Tysan;  the  fifth,  Mar- 
garet, now  Mrs.  Albert  Young,  of  Almond. 
In  the  fall  of  1846  John  and  Barbara  Fer- 
ber emigrated  to  America,  were  eight  weeks 
in  crossing  the  ocean,  and  came  direct  to 
Racine,  Wis.  Mr.  Ferber  bought  160 
acres  of  partially-improved  land  ten  miles 
from  Racine,  and  lived  there  until  1854, 
when  he  came  to  Almond  township.  Portage 
county.  Here  Mr.  Ferber  bought  260 
acres  of  land,  where  Albert  Young  now 
lives.  It  was  mostly  prairie  land,  and  con- 
tained a  small  building.  The  parents  occu- 
pied and  improved  this  farm  until  their 
death,  many  years  later.  After  their  mar- 
riage Isaiah   and    Christina   Felker  engaged 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


125 


in  farming  and  conducting  the  hotel  at  Al- 
mond until  the  death  of  Mr.  Felker,  Nov.  24, 
1874.  He  had  four  children,  Anna  Rosetta, 
now  Mrs.  William  Walker;  Herman,  who 
now  owns  the  old  homestead;  and  twins  who 
died  in  infancy.  Politically,  Isaiah  Felker 
was  a  Republican,  and  for  many  years  he 
was  postmaster  at  Almond.  The  widow, 
Mrs.  Felker,  now  lives  at  Stevens  Point. 

Herman  Felker  was  born  in  Almond 
township  July  6,  1862.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  and  when  quite 
young  assisted  in  clearing  the  land.  He 
was  only  twelve  years  old  when  his  father 
died,  and  at  that  early  age  he  took  his  place 
at  the  head  of  his  mother's  household.  Mr. 
Felker  has  ever  since  engaged  in  farming, 
and  now  plants  about  twelve  acres  of  pota- 
toes. On  March  27,  18S9,  he  was  married 
to  Carrie  J.  McCrossen,  born  in  Waupaca 
county,  daughter  of  John  and  Rachel 
(McDougle)  McCrossen,  both  natives  of 
Maine,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction. 
John  McCrossen  was  a  successful  farmer 
and  lumberman,  and  about  1856  emigrated 
with  his  family  to  Waupaca  county,  where 
he  purchased  and  opened  up  a  farm.  The 
parents  now  live  in  Waupaca,  at  the  ages 
of  seventy-three  and  sixty-nine  years  re- 
spectively. The  children  of  John  and 
Rachel  McCrossen  were  Mary,  now  wife  of 
W.  Chady,  a  merchant  in  Waupaca;  Will- 
iam, who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years; 
and  Carrie  J.,  wife  of  Mr.  Felker.  Mr. 
Felker  is  in  politics  a  Republican,  and  is 
well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the 
southern  portion  of  Portage  county  as  one 
of  the  most  enterprising  and  influential  citi- 
zens. 


LD.    SCOTT  is  one   of  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Belmont  township.  Port- 
age county — foremost   in   enterprise, 
foremost  in  enlightened  opinion,  fore- 
most   in    public   spirit.      He   is    a  self-made 
man,  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Upper 
Wisconsin  Valley. 

Born  in  Tioga  county,  Penn.,  August  2, 
1 83 1,  he  is  a  son  of  Luke  and  Julia 
(Seeley)  Scott,  the  former  of  whom,  who 
was    a    farmer,    died    in     1836,    leaving    a 


widow  and  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Lucretia,  Levi,  Julius, 
Charlotte,  Abigail,  James,  Charles,  Julia, 
Phoebe,  L.  D.  and  Hester  A.  The  oldest 
brother  took  charge  of  the  farm,  and  the 
family  remained  together.  The  mother  died 
in  Tioga  county,  Penn.,  October  17,  1858, 
aged  64  years,  8  months,  22  days.  L.  D. 
Scott,  who  was  the  youngest  son,  remained  on 
the  home  farm,  attending  the  district  schools 
and  assisting  in  the  farm  work  until  he  was 
twenty-one  or  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
when  he  went  into  the  lumber  woods.  In 
the  fall  of  1855  he  came  to  Oshkosh,  Wis., 
traveling  by  rail  to  Sheboygan,  and  thence 
by  stage  to  his  destination.  In  the  winter 
he  worked  in  the  woods,  and  during  the  en- 
suing summer  he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill 
at  Oshkosh;  then,  in  the  fall  of  1856,  he 
came  to  Portage  county,  and  worked  in  the 
pinery  on  the  Big  Plover,  running  the  river 
the  following  summer.  He  bought  land  in 
Springwater  township,  Waushara  county, 
but  never  occupied  it.  For  several  years 
longer  he  followed  lumbering,  then  in  the 
fall  of  1 86 1  he  purchased  eighty  acres  oi 
poorly-improved  land  in  Section  8,  Belmont 
township. 

Mr.  Scott  was  married,  March  29,  1862, 
in  Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  to  Susan  E.  Dopp, 
who  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  May 
16,  1832,  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Cather- 
ine (Miller)  Dopp.  Mrs.  Scott  migrated  to 
Waukesha  county.  Wis.,  May,  1846,  with  her 
parents,  coming  via  the  Erie  canal  to  Buf- 
falo, thence  by  lake  to  Milwaukee,  and 
thence  to  Waukesha  county.  She  was  the 
youngest  of  six  children,  and  before  she  was 
eighteen  she  began  teaching  school.  She 
taught  eighteen  or  twenty  terms,  and  it  is 
an  evidence  of  her  ability  that  she  received 
unusually  high  wages  for  those  times.  Her 
first  term  was  for  fourteen  shillings  per 
week,  extraordinary  wages  then,  and  in 
later  years  she  received  as  high  as  twenty 
dollars  per  month,  .\fter  his  marriage  Mr. 
Scott  lived  for  about  six  months  on  his 
eighty-acre  tract,  then  in  the  fall  of  1862  he 
moved  to  his  present  farm,  where  he  has 
lived  ever  since,  engaged  in  farming.  He 
now  owns  200  acres  of  land,  highly  im- 
proved, it  being  one  of  the    excellent   farms 


126 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  the  township.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott:  Mattie  A., 
September  12,  1866  (now  Mrs.  John  H. 
Johnson,  of  Blaine,  Wis.),  and  Bertha  E., 
December  12,  1871  (now  Mrs.  Frank  Casey, 
and  living  with  her  parents).  On  October 
4,  1864,  L.  D.  Scott  left  home  to  join  the 
army,  was  discharged  from  Jeffersonville 
Hospital,  and  reached  home  Julj'  22,  1865. 
In  1893  and  1894  Mr.  Scott  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Blaine.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  voted  for  John  C. 
Fremont  in  1856.  He  has  held  various 
local  offices,  including  those  of  town  chair- 
man, supervisor  and  treasurer  of  District 
No.  6;  has  been  an  active  advocate  of  Re- 
publican principles  in  Belmont  township, 
and  from  his  influential  position  has  been 
one  of  the  chief  advisors  of  his  party  in 
his  section.  For  fifteen  years,  from  Sep- 
tember 4,  1878,  to  December  25,  1893,  he 
was  postmaster  at  Blaine,  conducting  the 
office  in  his  house.  Successful  in  business, 
always  active  in  public  matters,  well-in- 
formed and  happy  in  his  domestic  relations, 
Mr.  Scott  is  most  highly  esteemed  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


AUGUST  H.  STANCE,  president  and 
manager  of  the  A.  H.  Stange  Co., 
Merrill,  and  whose  enterprise,  en- 
ergy and  business  tact  and  public- 
spiritedness  have  done  so  much  toward 
the  building  up  of  the  city  of  his  adop- 
tion since  he  came  to  it,  is  by  birth  a 
German,  having  been  born  near  the  city  of , 
Berlin  October  10,   1853. 

Charles  F.  Stange,  his  father,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  born  in  1820,  was  married 
in  the  Fatherland  to  Miss  Caroline  Boetcher, 
of  the  same  nativit}',  the  date  of  her  birth 
being  February  6,  1826.  In  Germany  three 
children — Caroline,  August  H.  and  Charles 
— were  born  to  them,  and  in  1856  the  fam- 
ily came  to  America,  settling  in  Watertown, 
Jefferson  Co.,  Wis.,  where  six  more  chil- 
dren were  born — Ida,  Augusta,  Anna  and 
Emma,  living,  and  two  that  died  in  infancy. 
The  father  was  called   from   earth  in   1886, 


while  a  resident  of  Merrill,  Lincoln  Co., 
Wis.,  having  been  an  invalid  for  eleven 
years;  the  mother  is  yet  living. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  se- 
cured but  a  limited  education,  as  on  account 
of  his  father's  ill-health  he  had  early  to 
commence  work  in  order  to  aid  in  the  sup- 
port of  the  family.  To  the  astonishingly 
rapid  development  of  lumber  manufactures 
in  Wisconsin  during  the  past  quarter  of  a 
century  Mr.  Stange  has  conspicuously  and 
effectually  contributed,  and  he  entered  the 
arena  of  business  with  a  vigor  and  energ}' 
which  has  never  flagged.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  we  find  him  in  a  sash,  door  and 
blind  factory,  giving  all  his  earnings  to  his 
parents,  which,  in  fact,  he  did  until  he  was 
married.  When  eighteen  years  old  he  went 
to  Racine,  Wis. ,  to  accept  the  position  of 
foreman  in  a  sash  and  door  factory,  where 
he  remained  eleven  years,  or  until  com- 
ing to  Merrill  in  the  sprmg  of  1882,  in 
company  with  H.  W.  Wright,  working  for 
him  on  salary  until  the  organization  of  the 
H.  W.  Wright  Lumber  Co. ,  of  which  he  be- 
came a  member.  After  two  years,  however, 
he  sold  his  interest,  and  in  partnership  with 
Mr.  Mihill,  bought  the  present  plant  consist- 
ing of  sawmill,  sash,  door  and  blind  factory, 
which  he  has  vastly  increased  and  improved, 
employment  being  now  given  to  an  average 
of  350  hands.  Within  one  year  Mr.  Stange 
bought  out  his  partner's  interest,  and  the 
business  was  conducted  in  Mr.  Stange's  own 
name  until  January,  1895,  when  it  was  or- 
ganized into  a  stock  company,  know  as  the 
A.  H.  Stange  Co.,  of  which  he  is  president, 
a  part  of  the  stock  being  distributed  among 
his  trusted  employes,  Mr.  Stange  owning  the 
controlling  interests.  When  he  bought  his 
present  plant,  it  was  far  from  new,  and  con- 
siderably run  down;  but  his  energy  and  busi- 
ness ability  soon  built  it  up  to  its  present 
standard  of  efficiency,  and  to-day  the  con- 
cern stands  at  the  head  of  all  similar  indus- 
tries in  Northern  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Stange 
enjoys  the  unqualified  esteem  and  respect 
of  his  employes,  for  reasons,  chief  among 
which,  probably,  is  his  thorough  personal 
knowledge  of  the  business  in  every  detail, 
there  not  being  a  single  machine  in  all  the 
extensive  plant  that  he  can  not  operate  him- 


Oi^^^^w^ 


UOMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


127 


self — well-establishing  his  claim  to  be  recog- 
nized as  a  master  of  every  department  of 
the  industry. 

In  February,  1874,  at  Racine,  Wis.,  Mr. 
Stange  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Miller,  a 
native  of  that  city,  and  daughter  of  William 
and  Hattie  Miller,  Germans  by  birth.  Six 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  named 
respectively:  Hattie,  Charles,  Adaly,  Au- 
gust, Emily  and  Lydia.  In  religious  faith  the 
entire  familj'  are  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
Church,  while,  socially,  they  are  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  the  community. 

Mr.  Stange's  business  interests  will  not 
permit  of  his  taking  much,  if  an}',  active 
part  in  politics;  but  his  popularity  is  such 
that  he  has,  even  in  a  measure  against  his 
inclination,  been  placed  in  public  offices  of 
trust  and  honor.  For  six  years — or  in  fact 
until  he  positively  declined  to  act  longer — he 
served  the  city  of  Merrill  as  alderman,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1895,  although  a  Demo- 
crat, he  was  offered  the  nomination  for 
mayor  of  his  adopted  city  by  the  best  rep- 
resentatives of  the  Republican  party  of 
Merrill.  We  have  said  he  does  not  take 
active  part  in  politics,  but  he  is  looked  upon 
as  such  an  able  adviser  that  he  is  repeatedly 
waited  on  and  consulted  on  political  ques- 
tions of  moment.  One  of  his  business  capa- 
city, administrative  ability  and  unblemished 
integrity  is  certain  to  be  sought  after  to  fill 
positions  where  experience  and  sound  judg- 
ment are  essential,  and  to-day  Mr.  Stange 
is  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
as  well  as  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Merrill.  He  takes  great  inter- 
est in  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the 
city.  Liberal  in  his  views,  and  charitable 
almost  to  a  fault,  yet  quiet  and  unostenta- 
tious, as  becomes  a  man  of  modest  mien,  he 
has  ever  been  a  powerful  supporter  of  any 
philanthropic  or  similar  cause  to  which  he 
could  conscientiously  give  his  sanction. 


JOHN   S.    COWAN,  who  is  one  of  the 
most   enterprising  farmers  of  Alinond 
township.  Portage    county,    has    thor- 
oughly experienced   in   his  career  as   a 
pioneer  the  vicissitudes  antl  hardships  which 


are  inseparable  from  life  on  the  outskirts  of 
civilization,  and  has  lived  to  witness  the  won- 
derful development  of  the  Upper  Wisconsin 
\'alley. 

He  was  born  in  Oshkosh,  April  iS,  1S49, 
son  of  James  and  Mary  (West)  Cowan,  na- 
tives of  County  Armagh,  Ireland,  who  in 
1828  emigrated  to  America.  From  Mon- 
treal they  went  to  Genesee,  N.  Y. ,  whence 
Mr.  Cowan  moved  to  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  and 
afterward  to  Erie,  Penn.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  Erie  canal.  He  then  went 
to  W^arren,  Trumbull  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he 
bought  a  small  unimproved  farm,  and  began 
to  clear  it.  In  1846  he  pre-empted  and  oc- 
cupied 1 20  acres  of  land  in  Algoma  township, 
Winnebago  county,  near  Oshkosh.  That 
city  then  consisted  of  one  store  and  one 
blacksmith  shop.  Settlers  were  few,  and 
wild  beasts  abounded  in  the  unbroken  for- 
ests. Mr.  Cowan  came  from  Ohio  in  com- 
pany with  Noah  and  Clark  Miles.  He  be- 
gan life  in  Wisconsin  without  a  team,  but 
prospered  and  remained  on  the  homestead- 
in  Algoma  township  until  his  death,  April 
14,  1882,  the  wife  surviving  him  until  Octo- 
ber 27,  1889.  Their  children  were  Jane, 
now  Mrs.  D.  B.  Frost ;  Margaret  (deceased)  ; 
David  ;  William  (also  deceased);  Sarah  ; 
Mary  Ellen  ;  Martha  ;  William,  now  with 
his  brother  John  ;  Jefferson  ;  John  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  ;  and  West,  who  oc- 
cupies the  old  homestead  in  Winnebago 
county. 

In  his  boyhood  John  S.  Cowan  attended 
the  public  schools,  also  the  city  high  school, 
and  graduated  from  the  business  college  at 
Oshkosh.  In  1870  he  left  his  father's  home 
and  came  to  Almond  township.  Portage 
county,  where  for  three  years  he  was  in  the 
employof  hissister,who  was  then  a  widow.  In 
1873  he  went  to  Lincoln  county,  S.  Dak., 
and  homesteaded  a  farm  of  160  acres,  con- 
sisting of  prairie  land.  He  remained  here, 
engaged  in  wheat  growing,  until  December 
I,  1876.  Mr.  Cowan  was  married  March 
16,  1876,  to  Etta  Frost,  daughter  of  Locke 
and  Maria  J.  (Frost)  Frost,  who  emigrated 
to  Wisconsin  from  Arlington,  Mass.  Taking 
his  bride  to  the  Dakota  home  Mr.  Cowan  re- 
mained there  until  the  following  winter,  when, 
I  his  wife  being  homesick  and   not   liking  the 


[28 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


new  country,  they  decided  to  return  to  Wis- 
consin. Starting  in  December  they  made 
the  entire  journey  in  an  emigrant  wagon, 
using  sled  runners  when  the  snow  permitted, 
and  were  seventeen  days  in  reaching  Ahnond 
township,  Portage  county.  Until  the  fol- 
lowing spring  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowan  remained 
with  her  parents,  then  purchased  from  Mr. 
Frost  a  farm  of  120  acres  in  Sections  22 
and  27,  Almond  township.  About  forty 
acres  were  cleared  and  in  good  farming  con- 
dition. Mr.  Cowan  constructed  a  frame 
house,  16  X  24,  which  is  now  a  portion  of 
their  residence.  Here  they  started  anew  in 
life.  The  team  with  which  they  drove 
through  from  Dakota,  they  lost,  and  the 
only  stock  they  had  on  the  new  farm  was  a 
colt  given  them  by  his  father.  Plainfield, 
the  nearest  market,  was  eight  miles  distant. 
The  work  of  clearing  proceeded  slowly  but 
surely,  and  to-day  Mr.  Cowan  has  his  whole 
farm  under  cultivation.  In  1884  he  pur- 
chased seventy  acres  of  additional  land,  cov- 
ered with  hardwood  timber,  and  easy  to  clear. 
In  1885  he  made  a  one-and-a-half-story  ad- 
dition, i8.\  26,  to  his  house.  He  built  a  sub- 
stantial barn,  24  x  36,  and  each  year  has  wit- 
nessed new  improvements.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cowan  have  two  children:  Wayne  F.,  born 
January  15,  1879,  and  Etta  Irene,  born 
July  14,  1881,  both  at  home,  and  attending 
school.  The  son  is  at  this  writing  prepar- 
ing to  enter  the  Normal  school  at  Stevens 
Point,  in  1895.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowan  are 
Spiritualists,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  was  town  clerk  four  yeai's,  and 
has  served  as  assessor  two  terms.  He  was 
appointed  chairman  in  1893  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy, and  in  the  following  year  was  elected 
to  that  office.  He  is  now  serving  his  sec- 
ond year  as  school  district  clerk.  Mr. 
Cowan  is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of 
Almond  township,  and  one  of  its  most  in- 
fluential farmers. 


LEVI  PARSONS    POWERS.      There 
was  no  more  progressive,  well-known 
or   more   highly-esteemed  citizen  in 
Wood    county    than    the    gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  memoir — a  man 
of   but    few  words,  quiet    and  undemonstra- 


tive, but  of  great  force  of  character,  and  a 
credit  to  the  profession  to  which  he  devoted 
his  life. 

Mr.  Powers  was  born  May  9,  1828,  in 
Marshfield,  Vt.,  and  was  a  son  of  Parsons 
and  Susan  (Cooper)  Powers.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  town,  and  his  early  years 
were  passed  upon  his  father's  farm;  but  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  teaching  school, 
at  the  same  time  spending  his  leisure  hours 
in  the  study  of  law.  He  began  reading  for 
the  legal  profession  with  a  Mr.  Wilkinson, 
and  afterward  continued  his  studies  with 
Judge  Poland,  of  Vermont.  Coming  west 
in  1 849,  he  spent  one  year  in  southern  Wis- 
consin, and  then  after  two  years'  residence 
in  Sauk  City  came,  in  1852,  to  Grand 
Rapids.  During  his  early  residence  here  he 
was  engaged  in  various  lines  of  business;  but 
after  a  time  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  chosen  profession,  and  was  soon  in  the 
foremost  ranks  of  the  legal  fraternity,  being 
considered  one  of  the  best  counsellors  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  He  was  fitted  for 
leadership,  being  a  broad-minded  man,  pos- 
sessed of  keen  discernment  and  progressive 
views.  In  politics  he  was  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat, and  when  Wood  county  was  organized 
he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, holding  that  office  for  several  terms. 
He  served  in  the  State  Legislature  of  Wis- 
consin in  1863,  and  was  the  vice-president 
of  the  Wisconsin  Valley  Railroad  Company, 
in  the  organization  of  which  corporation  he 
was  an  active  and  efficient  mover,  while  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death  he  served  as  its  at- 
torney. 

Mr.  Powers  was  possessed  of  a  marvel- 
ous memory,  and  it  was  generally  conceded 
that  he  had  few  rivals  in  his  knowledge  of 
law  records,  and  also  the  history  of  Wood 
county  and  the  State  from  the  time  of  his 
residence  within  its  borders.  New  settlers 
learned  to  look  to  and  rely  upon  him  for 
suggestions,  aid  and  counsel  in  almost  every- 
thing that  pertained  to  their  interests,  and 
especially  so  in  legal  matters,  until  his  fame 
became  known  throughout  his  adopted  State 
and  even  beyond  its  limits,  while  his  friends 
were  legion.  In  his  appearance  he  was  unos- 
tentatious, but  in  his  convictions  he  stood  as 
firm  as  the  mountains  among  which  his  early 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


childhood  was  passed,  yet  he  readily  yielded 
to  logical  reasoning,  and  was  ever  earnest 
and  untiring  in  his  search  for  the  key  that 
would  solve  the  problems  presented  to  him 
through  his  life,  doubting  when  he  could  not 
demonstrate.  In  religion  it  can  not  be  said 
that  he  was  an  unbeliever.  He  had  no  fear 
of  death,  but  the  question  of  the  hereafter 
he  could  not  solve  to  his  satisfaction.  He 
never  tired  of  studying  and  pondering  upon 
religious  and  scientific  subjects,  and  his  ever 
honorable  and  upright  life  assures  us  that  if 
existence  is  continued  beyond  the  grave  he 
will  live  in  immortality.  In  his  practice  he 
made  considerable  money,  but  more  often 
his  services  were  unrequited  by  pecuniary 
remuneration.  He  seldom  asked  for  a 
stated  sum,  letting  his  patrons  give  him 
what  they  believed  to  be  his  just  due.  He 
was  generous  and  benevolent,  ever  kind  and 
thoughtful  of  others,  none  could  speak  aught 
against  him,  and  he  probably  had  not  a 
single  enemy  in  his  wide  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. 

Mr.  Powers  was  married,  in  Grand 
Rapids,  September  8,  1870,  to  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  Ann 
(Brown)  Dickerson,  and  one  daughter,  Alta 
Charlotte,  was  born  to  them  January  22, 
1876.  The  devoted  husband  and  father 
passed  peacefully  away  on  the  morning  of 
September  24,  1S88.  He  has  left  an  im- 
press upon  this  State  and  her  laws  that  will 
be  seen  and  felt  for  many  generations,  and 
in  the  records  of  the  courts  has  built  for 
himself  a  monument  more  splendid  and  en- 
during than  could  have  been  made  by  the 
sculptor,  and  his  memory  will  be  cherished 
throughout  Wood  county  and  Wisconsin 
while  the  friends  who  have  known  him  are 
still  in  life. 


NICHOLAS  GROSS.     Among  the  en- 
terprising,   wide-awake    hustlers    of 
Stevens  Point  none  is  more  deserv- 
ing of  special   mention   in   the  col- 
umns   of    this    work    than    the    gentleman 
whose  name  is  here  recorded. 

Mr.  Gross  is  a  native  of  Lorraine,  France 
(now  in  Germany),  born  April  4,  1854,  a  son 
of  Nicholas  and  Christina  (Deminerle)  Gross, 


highly  respectable  and  well-to-do  farming 
people  of  that  historic  province.  In  1865, 
accompanied  by  their  then  family  of  eight 
children,  they  set  sail  from  Havre,  France, 
in  the  ship  "Bremen,"  and  after  a  passage 
of  forty-two  days  landed  at  New  York,  when 
they  at  once  proceeded  to  Wisconsin  via 
Buffalo,  where  they  remained  a  short  time. 
In  the  spring  of  1866  they  came  to  Portage 
county,  and  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  at  Po- 
land Corners,  the  father,  in  1867,  built  a 
tavern,  which  was  known  far  and  near  as 
the  "Poland  Corner  Tavern,"  the  first 
hostelry  ever  seen  in  that  neighborhood. 
Here  he  died,  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
in  1876,  his  wife  passing  away  at  Stevens 
Point  in  1892,  and  they  were  buried,  the 
father  at  Poland  Corners,  the  mother  at 
Stevens  Point.  In  religious  faith  they  were 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in 
political  affiliation  Mr.  Gross  was  a  Demo- 
crat. Their  family  of  children  were  as  fol- 
lows: Born  in  Lorraine — Richard,  a  resi- 
dent of  Stockton,  Portage  Co.,  Wis. ;  Cath- 
erine, now  Mrs.  N.  Jacobs,  of  Stevens 
Point;  Victor,  of  the  same  place;  Nicholas, 
our  subject;  Henry,  living  in  W^ausau,  Wis., 
representing  the  Pabst  Brewing  Co. ;  Aloy- 
sius,  member  of  the  hardware  firm  of  Gross 
&  Jacobs,  Stevens  Point;  Christina,  now 
Mrs.  John  Khiel,  of  Stevens  Point;  Felix,  who 
died  at  Poland  Corners  when  twelve  years 
old;  those  born  in  the  United  States  are — 
Mary,  a  Sister  of  the  Order  of  Notre  Dame; 
and  Rosa,  now  Mrs.  John  Martini.  The 
father  of  this  family  at  one  time  owned 
some  land  in  this  country,  but  never  lived 
on  it. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  at  the  schools 
of  his  native  place,  and  after  coming  to  this 
country  attended  a  short  time  a  German 
school  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  while  the  family 
were  remaining  there  while  on  their  west- 
ward journey.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
left  the  parental  roof,  and  coming  to  Stev- 
ens Point  made  his  home  here  with  a  Mr. 
Jacobs,  and  attended  the  Second  Ward 
School.  For  a  time  he  found  employment 
in  a  supply  store;  but  prior  to  this  he  went 
up  the  river  to  Big  Eau  Claire  to  work  on  a 
lumber   raft    bound    for   St.  Louis,    Mo.,   in 


130 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


which  expedition  he  came  near  losing  his 
Hfe,  for  on  running  down  the  Little  Bull 
Falls  he  was  accidentally  knocked  off  the 
raft  into  the  water.  James  McHugh,  the 
pilot,  made  an  effort  to  save  him,  Mr.  Gross 
being  unable  to  swim,  in  which  effort  (un- 
successful, it  seems)  McHugh  lost  his  pocket- 
book,  containing  $250,  and  our  subject  a 
trouser  leg.  Mr.  Gross  finally  succeeded  in 
reaching  shore  through  what  is  known 
among  lumbermen  as  the  "  emptying  of  an 
eddy,"  his  ardor  for  raft-running  being 
thoroughly  cooled.  This  occurred  at  a  place 
called  Mosinee,  and  by  the  time  the  raft 
reached  Stevens  Point,  Mr.  Gross  conclud- 
ed he  had  had  enough  of  aquatic  adventures, 
and  embarked  in  the  less  perilous  stream  of 
commercial  life,  securing  a  position  in  a 
supply  store,  as  already  related.  In  1877 
he  thought  he  would  vary  the  monotony  of 
life  by  trying  his  hand  at  railroad  life,  and 
proceeding  to  Colby  he  worked  on  the  con- 
struction of  the  Wisconsin  Central  railway 
a  couple  of  days,  "riding  the  crowbar;" 
then  once  more  returned  to  Stevens  Point, 
making  the  trip  on  a  freight  train,  whereof 
James  Doi^sey  was  conductor.  For  a  time 
after  this  Mr.  Gross  worked  in  a  supply 
store  for  Thomas  Gray,  the  result  of  which 
was  that  in  the  fall  of  1874  he  opened  up  a 
saloon  business  on  Main  street,  Stevens 
Point,  between  First  street  and  the  square, 
John  O.  Herren  being  his  partner;  but  the 
business  was  not  a  success,  and  at  the  end 
of  some  six  months  was  closed  out.  Our 
subject  next  tended  bar  for  his  brother-in- 
law,  Nicholas  Jacobs,  at  the  "Jacobs 
House,"  and  with  him  remained  until  1877. 
From  1878  to  1881  he  was  employed  in  the 
machine  shops  of  John  and  James  Rice, 
keeping  books  and  running  machinery;  then 
again  opened  out  a  saloon  on  the  northeast 
.corner  of  the  Square,  in  which  he  continued 
alone  until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  he  re- 
moved his  business  to  the  Lutz  Block,  on 
Main  street,  Peter  Eiden  becoming  his  part- 
ner. There  Gross  &  Eiden  continued  the 
saloon  till  June,  1883,  when  Mr.  (iross  sold 
out  to  A.  Watke,  and  began  the  handling  of 
Pabst's  beer,  selling  it  by  the  carload  from 
October,  1883,  to  May,  1884,  since  when  he 
has    been    local    representative    at    Stevens 


Point  for  that  vast  brewery,  the  trade  of 
which  has  considerably  increased  under  his 
careful  management  and  thorough  business 
capacity.  On  November  21,  1875,  Mr. 
Gross  was  married  at  Stevens  Point  to  Miss 
Johanna  C.  Splawn,  who  was  born  in  Hart- 
ford, Washington  Co.,  Wis.,  a  daughter  of 
Patrick  Splawn,  a  native  of  Ireland;  she 
was  brought  to  Portage  county  when  a  year 
old,  and  was  here  reared  and  educated. 
The  children  born  of  this  marriage  were  as 
follows:  Nicholas,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years  and  two  months;  Alice,  born 
November  7,  1882,  still  at  home;  and  Ma- 
bel, who  died  when  three  years  and  sixteen 
days  old.  In  politics  Mr.  Gross  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  1878  he  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board;  socially  he  is  affiliated  with 
the  Catholic  Knights,  the  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters,  and  has  served  as  trustee  of  each, 
at  the  present  time  being  trustee  of  the 
Knights.  In  1894  he  built  one  of  the  finest 
dwelling-houses  in  Stevens  Point,  and  he 
has  every  home  comfort  due  to  a  man  who 
has  earned  it  well  and  is  deserving  of  all 
he  owns. 


JAMES  BARR.  In  every  agricultural 
community  there  are  some  men  who  are 
generally  known  as  poor  farmers,  and 
others  who  have  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing good  farmers.  Among  the  latter  class 
are  a  few  who  excel  even  among  the  excel- 
lent. The  reputation  of  James  Barr,  of 
Belmont  township,  Portage  county,  is  that 
he  is  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the  county. 
He  is  not  specially  interested  in  politics.  It 
is  the  farm  that  interests  him,  and  as  a  re- 
sult he  is  a  model  for  the  man  who  wishes 
to  make  farming  a  successful  business. 

Mr.  Barr  comes  of  sound  Scotch  stock. 
Now,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  he  is  a  very 
well-preserved  man.  He  is  one  of  a  family 
of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  six  of  whom 
now  survive.  He  was  born  in  Renfrew- 
shire, Scotland,  June  2i,  1825,  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Janet  (Pettiker)  Barr.  Robert  Barr 
was  a  joiner,  and  supported  his  family  in 
Scotland  by  working  at  his  trade.  Becom- 
ing discontented  there,  he  made  a  prelimin- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


131 


ary  prospective  trip  to  New  Brunswick,  and 
soon  after,  in  1827,  he  emigrated  with  his 
family,  then  consisting  of  four  children,  to 
a  farm  in  Lower  Canada,  in  a  new  and 
wooded  country.  He  was  a  poor  man,  and 
sought  a  cheap  home.  On  the  farm  he 
thus  settled  he  lived  through  life,  and  died 
aged  seventy-five  years,  his  wife  surviving 
to  the  age  of  eighty-six.  Their  family  was 
as  follows:  Janet,  now'  Mrs.  Gilmour  Dan- 
skin,  of  Iowa  county,  Iowa;  Jane,  who 
married  and  died  in  England;  James,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Mary,  who  married  and 
died  in  Michigan;  Robert,  of  British  Colum- 
bia; John,  who  died  in  Lower  Canada; 
William,  of  Indiana;  Margaret,  widow  of 
George  Ma.xwell,  of  Lower  Canada;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  and  died  in  Iowa;  Isabel, 
who  married  and  died  in  Lower  Canada; 
Peter,  of  Lower  Canada;  and  Allan,  who 
died  in  Lower  Canada. 

James  Barr  was  reared  in  a  new  country 
in  Canada,  where  there  were  no  schools  for 
years  ;  but,  nevertheless,  he  got  education 
enough  to  carry  him  through.  When  about 
eighteen  years  old  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself,  working  at  whatever  he  could  find 
to  do,  chiefly  lumbering  for  a  while.  For 
some  time  he  worked  in  Lower  Canada,  then 
went  to  Upper  Canada  where  for  four  years 
he  was  engaged  in  loading  and  unloading 
vessels  at  Port  Ryerse,  and  during  these 
years  secured  his  start  in  life  from  wages  of 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  dollars  per  month. 
He  first  came  to  Wisconsin  in  the  winter  of 
1854-55,  when  he  was  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing on  the  Big  Eau  Claire  river.  Returning 
to  Canada,  he  again  came  to  Wisconsin  in 
the  spring  of  1856,  and  settled  on  120  acres 
in  Section  21,  Lanark  township,  Portage 
county,  which  he  had  purchased  a  year  pre- 
vious. It  was  a  new  piece  of  land,  without 
buildings,  and  for  three  years  he  spent  the 
summers  in  improving  it,  passing  the  win- 
ters in  lumbering. 

In  1 860  he  was  married,  in  Lanark  town- 
ship, to  Mary  Donavan,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 22,  1841,  in  New  Brunswick,  daugh- 
ter of  Patrick  and  Julia  (Coughlin)  Dona- 
van). Patrick  was  a  mason  and  stone  cut- 
ter, and  a  great  traveler.  He  lived  succes- 
sively    in     New  Brunswick    (Canada),    Fall 


River  (Mass.),  Richmond  (Vt.),  Rensse- 
laer county  (N.  Y.),  Willimantic  (Conn.), 
Upper  Canada  near  the  Suspension  bridge, 
and  in  various  points  in  Ohio.  In  the  fall 
of  1854  he  came  with  his  family  to  Wau- 
paca, Wis.,  and  later  bought  forty  acres  in 
Lanark  township,  Portage  county,  also  pre- 
empting 120  acres  and  making  the  first  im- 
provements on  the  farm.  The  family  first 
lived  in  Lanark  township  in  a  shanty  twelve 
feet  square,  boarded  up  and  down,  and  here 
during  severe  winters  they  suffered  little  from 
the  cold  as  the  house  was  so  small  it  was 
easily  kept  warm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Donavan 
had  ten  children — five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters. The  parents  both  died  in  Lanark 
township,  the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five,  and  the  mother  when  fifty-three.  Mrs. 
Barr  when  a  girl  of  fourteen  summers  worked 
away  from  home,  and  as  a  domestic  received 
wages  as  low  as  fifty  cents  per  week.  After 
marriage  Mr.  Barr  began  housekeeping  in 
Section  21,  Lanark  township  ;  in  1873  he 
removed  to  Section  19,  Belmont  township, 
where  he  had  purchased  160  acres,  and  has 
lived  here  since.  His  four  living  children — 
John,  William,  Jessie  L.  and  Allan — are  all 
at  home  :  three  children,  Robert,  Anna  and 
Jane,  died  young.  Since  coming  to  Bel- 
mont township,  Mr.  Barr  has  engaged  solely 
in  farming,  and  has  erected  all  the  substan- 
tial buildings  which  the  farm  now  possesses. 
He  is  a  great  reader,  and  always  has  daily 
and  weekly  newspapers  in  his  home. 


FRANK  FLETCHER,  a  representa- 
tive citizen  of  Portage  county,  was 
born  'in  the  town  of  Burton-on-the- 
Water,  Gloucestershire,  England, 
December  18,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Charlotte  (Humphries)  Fletcher,  who 
were  also  natives  of  that  locality.  The 
father  learned  and  followed  the  trade  of  a 
baker  in  his  native  land,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1841  was  married.  In  the  spring  of  1854, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  he  sailed  for  this 
country  on  the  "George  Washington,"  a 
merchant  vessel.  They  had  previously  in- 
tended sailing,  but  were  fortunately  preven- 
ted from  doing  so,  for  on  the  vessel  on  which 
they    had    intended    taking    passage  yellow 


132 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


fever  broke  out,  and  nearly  all  on  board 
died. 

The  Fletchers  spent  thirty-three  dajs 
upon  the  water,  and  then  continued  their 
journey  by  rail  to  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  where 
Mrs.  Fletcher  had  an  uncle  living.  Two 
years  later  they  came  to  Portage  county  and 
located  a  claim,  but  after  six  months  were 
obliged  to  leave,  for  it  was  found  that  a  cer- 
tain John  Gray  had  a  prior  claim  to  the 
farm.  In  Buena  Vista  township  the  father 
secured  eighty  acres,  which,  however,  re- 
verted to  the  original  owner.  He  ne.\t  rent- 
ed land  for  two  years,  and  then  purchased 
forty  acres  in  Section  i6,  Buena  Vista  town- 
ship, and  now  became  more  prosperous. 
He  afterward  bought  an  additional  eighty 
acres,  later  the  eighty-acre  farm  on  which 
our  subject  resides,  and  subsequently  a  quar- 
ter section  on  which  his  son  George  is  living, 
and  eighty  acres  on  which  a  nephew  is  liv- 
ing. He  also  owned  forty  acres  of  timber 
land,  making  in  all  360  acres.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican,  and  he  was  a  valued 
citizen.  His  death  occurred  May  29,  1890, 
on  the  old  homestead,  when  he  was  aged 
seventy-one  years.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
September  18,  18 19,  died  a  Christian  in 
April,   1890. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  viz.:  (i)  Arthur,  a  farmer 
of  Belmont  township.  Portage  county,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Handel  (he  served  in  the  Union 
army  throughout  the  Civil  war);  (2)  Mary 
Ann  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Charles  Went- 
worth,  a  farmer  of  Kansas,  by  whom  she 
had  one  son,  Louis,  who  married  Margaret 
Gasman,  and  had  two  children — John  and 
Perry;  (3)  William  died  in  infancy;  (4) 
Frank  is  the  ne.\t  younger;  (5)  Caroline  is 
the  wife  of  Gilbert  Puariea,  and  they  have 
six  children — Charles,  Fred,  Daisy,  Bessie, 
Ollie  and  Wayne  (they  reside  in  Buena  Vista 
township);  (6)  Charles  R.,  a  farmer  of  Stev- 
ens Point,  Wis.,  married  Hattie  Wanty, 
and  they  have  four  children — Pearl,  Roy, 
Harry  and  Ray  Arthur;  (7)  George,  a  farmer 
of  Beuna  Vista  township,  married  Emma 
Wanty,  and  they  have  six  children — Eugenia, 
Irene,  who  died  in  infancy,  John,  Clara, 
Millie  and  Ward;  (8)  Herman  D.  is  a  car 
inspector   in   the   employ   of  the  Wisconsin 


Central  Railroad  Company  at  Stevens  Point 
(he  married  Josie  Grover,  and  they  had 
three  children — Guinevere,  Gladys,  and  one 
that  died  in  infancy. 

Our  subject  was  about  seven  years  old 
when  his  parents  came  to  America.  He 
began  his  education  in  England  and  com- 
pleted it  in  Buena  Vista  township;  but  much 
of  his  youth  was  spent  in  work  upon  the 
home  farm.  He  also  worked  for  others  as  a 
farm  hand,  and  was  in  the  lumber  woods 
during  two  winters,  also  rafted  lumber  down 
the  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi  rivers  as  far 
as  Hannibal.  In  May,  1874,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Belmont,  Wis.,  by  Ira  Whipple, 
justice  of  the  peace,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Berry, 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Angeline  (John- 
son) Berrj',  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  latter  of  Sweden.  Mrs.  Fletcher 
was  born  near  Wausau,  Wis.,  in  the  lumber 
region,  where  her  father  kept  a  boarding 
house.  He  was  born  August  4,  18 14,  and 
his  wife  on  February  9,  1835.  The)'  still 
reside  on  the  old  homestead  in  Buena  Vista 
township.  Portage  county;  they  had  six 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Fletcher  is  the 
eldest;  after  her  came  Clara,  born  March  12, 
1856,  deceased  wife  of  Nelson  Winslow,  a 
lumberman;  Mary  B.,  a  milliner  of  Am- 
herst, Wis. ;  William,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Andrew  B.,  first  married  to  Emma  Young, 
and  afterward  to  Barbara  Young,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children — Effie  and  Robert  P. ; 
Alice,  born  August  13,  1865,  died  in  Sep- 
tember,  1886. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flet- 
cher located  on  the  farm  which  is  still  their 
home.  His  father  had  given  him  a  deed  to 
eighty  acres  of  land,  and  to  this  he  added 
140  acres.  Fortenj^ears  they  lived  in  a  small 
frame  dwelling,  one  of  the  first  homes  in 
the  township,  and  in  1884  erected  a  com- 
modious modern  residence,  in  which  they 
reside  with  their  only  child,  Clarence,  who 
was  born  April  6,  1878,  and  is  now  at- 
tending school  in  Buena  Vista  township. 
Mrs.  Fletcher  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  at  Liberty  Corners,  and  takes  quite 
an  active  part  in  Church  work.  In  politics 
Mr.  Fletcher  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
has  served  as  supervisor  about  eight  years, 
being    at   present  a   member  of  the  board 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


133 


He  has  been  clerk  of  the  school  board 
eighteen  years,  is  a  warm  friend  of  the  cause 
of  education,  and  gives  his  hearty  support 
to  all  worthy  enterprises  and  interests  cal- 
culated to  prove  of  public  benefit. 


ALMON  MAXFIELD  holds  a  leading 
place  among  the  enterprising  and 
prominent  men  of  Plover,  Portage 
county,  where  he  is  now  carrying  on 
a  successful  mercantile  business.  He  is  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  born  in  Goshen, 
November  5,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan 
C.  (a  farmer)  and  Judith  (Cheney)  Maxfield, 
who  had  a  family  of  three  children:  Almon, 
Electa  E.,  wife  of  John  Patterson,  a  lum- 
berman (they  have  a  family  of  children), 
and  Leander,  a  miner  of  New  Me.xico. 

The  educational  privileges  of  Almon 
Maxfield  were  but  meagre,  all  the  literary 
training  he  received  being  obtained  in  an 
old  log  school  house.  He  was  early  inured 
to  hard  labor,  however,  and  began  life  for 
himself  at  an  early  age.  In  1840,  accom- 
panied by  his  parents,  he  moved  with  their 
children  to  Janesville,  Wis.,  and  here  our 
subject  was  engaged  in  work  by  the  day. 
Wisconsin  at  that  time  was  considered  on 
the  frontier,  and  there  were  few  inhabitants 
in  the  section  where  they  located.  Almon 
made  his  home  in  that  vicinity  until  1850, 
in  which  year  he  came  to  Plover.  His 
mother  for  many  years  had  been  an  invalid, 
and  it  was  mainly  on  account  of  her  health 
that  the  family  had  come  west;  her  death 
occurred  in  Janesville  in  1842.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  family  arrived  in  Portage 
county  in  1852,  and  for  many  years  the 
father  made  his  home  at  Stockton;  he  died 
at  the  home  of  our  subject  in  1892,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years. 

Almon  Maxfield  engaged  in  general  labor 
for  about  five  years  after  coming  to  Plover, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased  120 
acres  of  totally  unimproved  land.  For  two 
years  he  made  his  home  with  a  family  who 
were  living  upon  his  farm,  and  then  on  June 
20,  1 86 1,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Elizabeth  Rice,  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
daughter  of    Benona  and  Mary  (Livingston) 


Rice,  who  also  had  a  son,  Lemuel  G.,  a 
merchant  of  McDill,  Wis.  Her  father  fol- 
lowed the  vocation  of  farming,  and  with  his 
family  emigrated  to  Wisconsin  about  the 
year  1852,  locating  in  Plover;  since  1894 
both  he  and  his  wife  have  resided  with  our 
subject.  Mr.  Rice  has  now  reached  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three,  his  wife  being 
eighty-one.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxfield 
have  been  born  four  children:  Irene,  now 
the  wife  of  W.  W.  Dake,  who  operates  her 
father's  farm  in  Plover  township;  Cora  E., 
now  employed  as  bookkeeper  for  a  merchant 
in  Gladstone,  Mich.;  Marion  E.,  attending 
the  Normal  School  at  Stevens  Point;  and 
Julian  P.,  at  school. 

Until  1886  Mr.  Maxfield  carried  on  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Plover  township,  Port- 
age county,  and  during  that  period  cleared 
and  developed  his  .fine  farm  of  120  acres. 
In  that  year  he  removed  into  the  village  of 
Plover,  and  has  since  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing, carrying  a  stock  valued  at  $3,000.  He 
has  a  well-appointed  store,  in  which  he  con- 
ducts a  lucrative  business,  receiving  a  liberal 
patronage  from  the  people  of  Plover  and 
the  surrounding  country.  Politically  he  al- 
ways supports  the  Republican  party,  and  on 
its  ticket  was  elected  supervisor  for  four 
years;  he  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  possesses  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives,  and  is  held  in 
the  highest  respect  by  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  Mrs.  Maxfield  is  a  true 
Christian  woman,  and  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  whose 
Aid  Society  she  belongs. 

HENRY  KOLLOCK,  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  and   successful    farmers  of 
Almond  township.  Portage   county, 
was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  Novem- 
ber 12,   1828,  son  of  Shepherd  F.  and  Mary 
Eliza  (Taylor)  Kollock,  both  natives  of  New 
Brunswick. 

Shepherd  F.  Kollock  was  by  occupation 
a  lumberman  and  fisherman,  and  the  shift- 
ing center  of  the  lumbering  interests  induced 
him  several  times  to  move.  He  lived  for 
some  years  in  Maine,  and  in  1836,  soon 
after  the  death  of   his  wife,  he  moved  west, 


134 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHWAL   RECORD. 


settling  near  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  fanning.  Four  years  later  he  came 
to  Waukesha,  and  followed  lumbering,  liv- 
ing with  his  eldest  son,  William,  who  owned 
land.  Here  the  father  died  in  1843.  He 
had  nine  children,  as  follows:  William,  who 
died  in  Kansas;  Jane,  who  married  Thomas 
Curry,  a  harness  maker,  and  died  in  Michi- 
gan; Wellington,  a  resident  of  Buena  Vista 
township,  who  was  killed  in  the  tornado  of 
1863;  AnnC,  who,  as  the  widow  of  Michael 
Little,  lives  with  her  children  at  Detroit, 
Mich.;  George,  an  hotel  keeper  at  Merrill; 
Mary  Eliza,  wife  of  George  Sanford,  a 
farmer  and  lumberman  at  Hustisford,  Dodge 
county;  Henry,  of  Almond  township;  Nel- 
son, a  farmer  of  Almond  township;  and 
Frances,  widow  of  B.  F.  Cooper,  of  West 
Superior. 

Until  the  tender  age  of  eight  years  our 
subject  received  some  educational  advan- 
tages in  the  East,  and  he  can  remember 
when  a  teacher  could  be  employed  for  $1 
per  week;  on  coming  west  with  his  father 
his  school  days  were  less  frequent.  After 
the  father's  death,  which  occurred  when 
Henry  was  fifteen  years  old,  he  remained  at 
the  home  of  his  brother  William  for  three 
years,  then  with  his  brother  Nelson  he  came 
to  Wausau,  and  for  six  years  they  worked 
in  the  pineries.  Then,  in  1852,  the  two 
brothers  came  to  Almond  township,  where 
they  bought  a  claim  of  320  acres,  at  that 
time  unsurveyed.  They  lived  for  a  time 
with  their  brother  Wellington,  in  Buena 
Vista  township,  and  their  nearest  neighbor 
was  John  Moss,  who  occupied  the  land  now 
known  as  the  Dickson  place.  The  brothers 
had  oxen,  and  at  once  began  breaking  up 
the  land.  Henry  was  married,  March  20, 
1854,  to  Permelia  Barber,  daughter  of  Ches- 
ter Barber,  a  cooper  by  trade,  who  had  been 
a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  who  came 
from  New  York  to  W^aushara  county.  Wis., 
about  1847,  engaging  in  farming  until  his 
death,  several  years  later.  When  Henry 
Kollock  was  married  about  fifty  acres  of  the 
land  was  under  the  plow.  He  built  a  frame 
house,  16x24,  and  here  the  two  brothers 
lived.  They  speculated  in  land  to  some  ex- 
tent, and  remained  in  partnership  until 
1873,  when  they  divided  560  acres  between 


them.  Henry  now  owns  200  acres.  He  is 
the  father  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Ella 
A.,  who  married  Walter  Nugent,  of  Plain- 
field,  Wis.,  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five 
years,  leaving  one  child,  Cora  E. ;  Cora  D., 
now  Mrs.  William  Brady,  of  Almond  town- 
ship; Edith,  now  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Pratt; 
and  Shepherd  F.,  at  home.  All  the  children 
have  been  school  teachers  except  Shepherd 
F.  The  latter  was  married  November  12, 
1894,  to  Anna  Smith,  daughter  of  Osborn 
and  Sarah  (Clark)  Smith.  Osborn  Smith,  a 
plumber  by  trade,  is  now  a  farmer  of  Buena 
Vista,  and  is  the  father  of  twelve  children, 
as  follows:  William  (deceased),  Jennie, 
Anna,  Alice,  Ella,  Maggie,  William  (2), 
Catherine  Reece,  Maria,  Theresa,  Adeline 
and  James.  Politically  Mr.  Kollock  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  ante-bellum  times  he  was, 
like  his  father,  a  Whig.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  Plainfield  Lodge  No.  208,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  is  one  of  the  most  influential 
and  most  highly-respected  citizens  of  Almond 
township. 


FREDERICK  SHOEMAKER.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  life  of  every  man, 
if  properly  written,  would  be  as  in- 
teresting as  a  romance.  Few  lives 
perhaps  have  so  well  typified  the  rewards 
that  come  to  a  man  of  honor,  bravery  and 
fidelity  after  a  prolonged  battle  against  ad- 
verse fate,  as  that  of  him  whose  name  appears 
above,  one  of  the  most  highly  honored  citi- 
zens of  Dayton  township,  Waupaca  county. 
He  was  born  in  Alsace,  France  (now 
Germany),  August  27,  1826,  son  of  Jacob 
and  Elizabeth  Shoemaker,  the  former  of 
whom,  who  was  a  farmer,  died  when  Fred- 
erick was  fourteen  years  of  age,  the  eldest 
of  thvee  children.  The  property  was  ample 
but  incumbered,  and  upon  the  shoulders  of 
the  young  lad  fell  the  main  burden  of  the 
fight  against  accumulating  interest  and  fore- 
closure. The  struggle  was  manful,  and  for 
a  time  kept  the  little  family  at  home  with 
the  mother.  In  1845  and  1846  there  was  a 
notable  exodus  of  emigrants  to  the  United 
States,  the  promised  land  of  liberty  and 
plenty.  It  was  partially  with  the  hope  of 
placing  his  mother  beyond  want  that  Fred- 


^L^^t^'X^^ 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


135 


erick,  too,  a  lad  of  twenty,  in  the  year  1846 
resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  country. 
Bidding  his  mother,  brother  and  sister  adieu, 
he  proceeded  via  Strasburg,  Paris,  Rouen 
and  Havre  to  New  York,  landing  with  but 
iive  dollars  in  his  pocket.  Unable  to  speak 
English,  he  in  vain  sought  work  for  several 
weeks,  and  his  little  fund  was  exhausted. 
Finally  he  succeeded  in  borrowing  ten  dol- 
lars to  take  him  to  his  uncle,  who  lived  in 
Orangeville,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.  He 
reached  Attica,  ten  miles  from  his  destina- 
tion, penniless,  and  started  afoot  for  his 
relative's  home.  All  night,  in  the  blustering 
month  of  March,  he  tramped  in  the  cold  and 
snow,  but  lost  his  way  and  was  compelled 
to  turn  back.  Not  daring  to  go  to  the  hotel, 
for  he  was  without  money,  he  hung  around 
the  depot  till  directed  anew,  and  this  time 
he  succeeded  in  reaching  his  destination. 
He  remained  there  a  month,  then  lived  out 
at  seven  dollars  per  month  with  Marshall 
Cowdin,  "  if  he  suited, "  and  remained  seven 
months.  Then  he  worked  near  Attica, 
N.  Y. ,  for  eight  dollars  per  month.  Re- 
turning to  Orangeville,  N.  Y. ,  good  fortune 
awaited  him.  His  services  were  engaged  by 
Truman  Lewis,  a  prominent  farmer  and 
dairyman,  and  for  three  and  a  half  years  he 
remained  on  that  farm.  Better  fortune 
still,  he  in  1850  married  Miss  Jane  Lewis, 
daughter  of  his  employer.  She  was  born 
June  30,  1826,  of  Puritan  extraction.  Tru- 
man Lewis  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men  of  his  county,  and  at  one  time  was  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Legislature. 

Having  saved  his  money,  though  much 
of  it  was  sent  to  his  widowed  mother,  Mr. 
Shoemaker  purchased  a  farm  in  Weathers- 
freld  township,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  which 
he  occupied  two  years.  He  then  returned 
and  worked  for  his  father-in-law.  In  the 
spring  of  1853  he  started  with  his  wife  for  a 
Western  home.  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  was  his 
destination,  which  was  reached  via  the 
lakes,  stage,  and  lake  again.  Here  he 
met  an  acquaintance,  and  while  looking 
around  he  was  advised  by  an  Oshkosh  mer- 
chant to  go  to  the  Indian  land  then  just 
opened  up.  Acting  on  the  advice,  he  pro- 
ceeded by  boat  to  Gill's  Landing.  Leaving 
his  wife  here,  he  proceeded  to  Dayton  town- 


ship, and  by  chance  met  Lyman  Dayton, 
formerly  of  Attica,  N.  Y.,  who  he  was.  sur- 
prised to  discover  was  a  personal  friend  of 
his  father-in-law,  Truman  Lewis.  Mr. 
Dayton  interested  himself  in  the  newcomer, 
and  gave  him  some  valuable  hints  upon 
making  a  location.  Mr.  Shoemaker  finally 
purchased  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
1 5  from  Thomas  Morgan,  who  had  made 
some  improvements  on  that  place,  clearing 
three  acres  and  building  a  small  house,  and 
in  May,  1853,  in  an  ox-wagon,  the  pur- 
chaser brought  his  wife  and  small  outfit  to 
their  new  home.  The  first  purchase  of 
ninety  acres  was  augmented  from  time  to 
time  until,  in  1893.  previous  to  the  transfer 
of  some  270  acres  to  his  sons,  the  farm  in- 
cluded 450  acres.  Meantime  matters  had 
not  prospered  in  the  old  country,  for  the  old 
home  was  sold,  leaving  the  mother  in 
straightened  circumstances.  She  lived  to 
the  age  of  seventy-five,  and  her  support 
came  largely  from  Wisconsin.  Elizabeth, 
the  only  sister  of  Frederick,  married  Charles 
Haenel  in  Europe,  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  Her  husband  died  in  New 
York  City,  and  she  returned  to  Alsace. 
Again  coming  to  New  York  City,  she  mar- 
ried Christian  Schuekle,  and  died  in  that  city 
in  1885.  Jacob,  the  only  brother  of  Fred- 
erick, entered  the  F'rench  army,  and  on  ac- 
count of  his  superior  military  presence  be- 
came a  member  of  Louis  Napoleon's  body 
guard.  He  is  now  a  station  agent  at  Mon- 
cel,  on  one  of  the  government  railroads  of 
France.  The  children  of  Frederick  and 
Jane  Shoemaker  are  Lewis  F.,  Lucy  (now 
Mrs.  A.  R.  Potts),  Truman  and  Corinne,  all 
residents  of  Dayton  except  Corinne,  who  is 
living  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shoemaker  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  though  he  has  not  been  an 
office  seeker  has  twice  served  his  township 
as  supervisor.  For  thirty-five  years  he  has 
been  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  he  and  his  wife  are  members.  He 
was  trustee  also,  for  years  was  Sunday- 
school  superintendent  and  chorister,  and  in 
1 883  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Saratoga, 
N.  Y.  While  nearly  seventy  years  old,  he 
has  the  health  and  strength  of  a  man  many 


136 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


years  younger.  Thoroughness,  honesty  and 
fairness  have  been  the  characteristics  of 
his  successful  Hfe.  He  is  one  of  the  best 
types  of  self-made  men,  and  is  most  hap- 
pily situated  at  the  old  homestead,  in  the 
midst  of  his  children,  who  are  following  in 
his  footsteps  and  thus  exemplifying  a  high 
citizenship. 


JACOB  H.  VAN  DOREN,  an  extensive 
manufacturer  at  Birnamwood,  Shawano 
county,  was  born  December  17,  1846, 
in  Steuben  county,  N.  Y. ,  near  Naples. 
Isaac  O.  Van  Doren,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  probably  born  in  Holland,  at  any  rate 
he  was  of  Dutch  descent;  his  father  was 
married  in  New  Jersey  to  Rebecca  Smith, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Abraham,  Mary  Ann,  Isaac  O.,  Jacob,  Will- 
iam and  Samuel.  He  was  an  early  settler 
in  New  York,  and  came  to  \Msconsin  in 
1853,  settling  near  Oshkosh,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death  in  1864;  his  wife 
passed  away  in  1862. 

Isaac  O.  Van  Doren,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  married  in  Naples,  N.  Y. ,  to 
Sarah  Bush,  who  was  born  in  that  town  in 
1824,  one  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz. : 
Paulina.  Sarah,  Vinna,  Jane,  Myra,  Rufus, 
John  H.  and  Arthur.  Both  the  parents  died 
in  New  York.  By  this  marriage  Isaac  O. 
Van  Doren  became  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Adelaide,  James,  Jacob 
H.,  Alfrida,  Ella,  Wheeler,  Frank,  May  and 
Charles.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1854,  settling  on 
a  farm  in  Winnebago  county,  near  Oshkosh, 
also  carrying  on  a  hotel.  The  mother  dying 
at  this  home  in  1880,  the  father  married 
again;  he  is  now  living  in  Brown  Valley, 
Minnesota. 

Jacob  H.  Van  Doren,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  attended  the  common  schools  in  his 
native  State,  also  after  coming  to  \\'iscon- 
sin,  and  assisted  his  father  upon  a  farm  until 
he  was  twent\-oue  years  of  age.  He  then 
went  to  Menasha  and  bought  a  livery  stable, 
which  he  managed  one  year,  when  he  sold 
out  and  embarked  in  the  lumber  business  in 
Shawano  count}',  remaining  there  one  year. 
His  next  step  was  to  buy  a  farm  near  Osh- 


kosh which  he  operated  two  years,  and 
then  purchased  a  farm  in  Green  Lake 
county.  Here  he  lived  for  four  years, 
when  he  again  disposed  of  his  property,  and 
moving  to  Oshkosh  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business,  which  he  carried  on  some  eight 
years.  In  June,  1S84,  he  sold  out  his  store, 
and  coming  to  Birnamwood  bought  a  small 
mill.  In  July  he  sold  a  one-half  interest  in 
this  to  his  present  partner,  B.  B.  Andrews, 
and  they  are  now  carrying  on  an  extensive 
business,  which  has  grown  from  an  invest- 
ment of  $2,000  to  the  value  of  $50,000. 
Their  plant  consists  of  a  sawmill,  shingle- 
mill,  stavemill,  planing-mill  and  an  excel- 
sior factory,  and  they  employ  forty  men  the 
year  round;  they  also  conduct  a  general  store 
in  connection  with  their  establishment. 
These  various  industries,  which  have  done 
so  much  for  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  this 
section  of  the  county,  are  managed  with 
much  abilit}',  and  by  the  latest  and  most 
approved  methods,  and  testify  to  the  fore- 
sight and  good  judgment  of  their  owners. 
The  town,  which  numbered  only  one  hun- 
dred people  when  these  factories  were 
started,  now  has  a  population  of  four  hun- 
dred, and  is  a  growing  and  prosperous  vil- 
lage. 

Mr.  Van  Doren  was  married  March  20, 
1870,  to  Miss  Anna  Cook,  who  was  born 
in  Winnebago  county  November  20,  1850, 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Harriet  (Shelton) 
Cook,  natives  of  \'ermont,  who  came  to 
Wisconsin  in  an  early  day,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  farming.  He  died  in  1879, 
leaving  a  family  of  six  children:  Clara,  Anna, 
Charles,  Albert,  Julia  and  Flora;  the  mother 
is  still  living.  To  our  subject  and  estimable 
wife  five  children  have  been  born:  Guy,  who 
superintends  the  store  and  is  bookkeeper  for 
the  company;  Flora,  now  Mrs.  Thomas  Can- 
non; Ray,  attending  Wisconsin  State  Uni- 
versity at  Madison;  and  Dee  and  Clyde,  both 
still  at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Van  Doren 
is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  been  a  school  di- 
rector six  3'ears,  having  ever  taken  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  education.  He  is  self- 
made,  and  ever  ready  to  help  those  who  are 
striving  to  make  a  way  for  themselves  in  the 
world.  Though  an  energetic  business  man, 
he   yet    takes   time   to  do  much  charitable 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


137 


work,  and  is  liberal  to  the  Church  and  all 
worthy  objects.  He  is  highly  respected  in 
the  community  of  which  he  is  a  valuable  cit- 
izen. Birnamwood  was  organized  as  a  vil- 
lage in  the  spring  of  1895,  ^"d  Mr.  Van- 
Doren  was  chosen  it  sfirst  president.  With 
his  family  he  attends  the  Congregational 
Church.  He  was  too  young  to  go  into  the 
army  during  the  Civil  war,  but  one  of  his 
brothers,  James  K.,  when  he  was  seventeen 
years  old  enlisted  in  the  First  Wisconsin 
Cavalry,  and  served  throughout  the  war,  in 
all  five  years.  He  had  some  exciting  ex- 
periences, and  was  made  prisoner  three  times. 

REV,  E.  J.  HOMME,  owner  and  man- 
ager   of    the    Orphans'    Home    and 
Home    for    homeless    old    people   at 
W'ittenberg,  Shawano  county.  Wis., 
was  born  at  Thelemarken,  Norway,  October 
17,   1S43,  a  son  of   John  and  Carrie  (Lundj 
Homme. 

John  Homme,  father  of  our  subject,  also 
a  Norwegian  by  birth,  born  in  1817,  was  a 
cabinet  maker  in  his  native  land,  a  business 
he  made  a  success  of,  and  was  married  in 
Norway  to  Miss  Carrie  Lund,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  children,  as  follows:  Evan  J., 
subject  of  sketch;  Ole,  now  a  resident  of 
Houston  county,  Minn. ;  Osmond,  a  wagon 
maker  and  carpenter  in  Wittenberg,  Wis. 
(he  is  married  and  has  five  children);  Miss 
Helga,  who  has  charge  of  the  boy's  depart- 
ment in  the  Orphans'  Home,  Wittenberg,  in 
the  capacity  of  assistant  matron;  Birgitte, 
married  and  living  in  Clay  county,  Minn. ; 
Annie,  who  married  Oscar  Frohling,  and 
died  leaving  a  family  of  children,  three  of 
whom  are  inmates  of  the  Orphans'  Home  at 
Wittenberg;  Andrew,  an  engineer  with  resi- 
dence at  Grand  Forks,  N.  Dak. ;  and  Fred- 
erick, foreman  of  Kemnitz  Manufacturing 
Company,  at  Green  Bay,  Wis.  In  1854  the 
parents  came  to  America,  locating  in  Dane 
county.  Wis.,  where  for  two  years  the  father 
worked  at  his  trade,  or  until  1856,  in  that 
year  moving  to  Houston  county,  Minn.,  set- 
tling on  a  piece  of  land,  and  there  combined 
farming  with  cabinet  making  during  the  rest 
of  his  busy  life,  dying  in  1885  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years;  his  widow   is  now  passing 


her  declining  years   with   her  son,  Ole,   in 
Houston  county,  Minnesota. 

Rev.  E.  J.  Homme,  the  subject  proper 
of  these  lines,  after  attending  elementary 
schools,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  entered  col- 
lege, taking  a  two-years'  course,  and  then 
proceeded  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where,  at  Con- 
cordia Seminary,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  theology,  at  the  end  of  three  years  being  or- 
dained a  minister  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church  of  America.  He  then,  in  1867,  took 
up  his  abode  in  Winchester,  Winnebago  Co., 
Wis. ,  and  was  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
there  some  fourteen  years,  thence  in  1880 
coming  to  what  is  now  Wittenberg,  of  which 
village  he  may  be  said  to  be  the  founder, 
there  not  being  a  human  being  in  the  place 
when  he  came  to  it.  He  walked  all  the  way 
from  Tigerton  (a  distance  of  nine  miles), 
which  at  that  time  was  the  terminus  of  the 
Lake  Shore  &  Western  railroad. 

From  a  pamphlet,  published  in  1894,  at 
Wittenberg  in  the  interest  of  the  Orphans' 
Home  at  that  village,  is  gleaned  the  follow- 
ing: The  village  of  Wittenberg  was  founded 
February  13,  1880,  by  Rev.  E.  J.  Homme, 
which  event  happened  in  the  following  way: 
The  Norwegian  Synod,  to  which  Rev.  Homme 
belonged  at  that  time,  had  for  several  years 
discussed  the  great  need  of  a  home  for 
orphan  children  and  homeless  old  people,  as 
no  such  institution  existed  among  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutherans  of  America.  Rev.  Homme 
declared  his  willingness  to  take  the  lead  in 
this  move  toward  the  establishment  of  such 
a  home,  on  the  condition  that  he  be  at  liberty 
to  select  the  place  for  it.  To  this  the  Synod 
agreed,  but  declared  that  he  should  consider 
this  as  a  private  enterprise,  and  not  under- 
take the  erection  of  buildings  with  the  idea 
that  the  Synod  should  be  obliged  to  pay  for 
them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Synod 
promised  to  lend  their  support  to  every  hon- 
est means  he  might  make  use  of  in  further- 
ing the  cause.  On  the  27th  of  January, 
1880,  a  number  of  German  Lutheran  clergy- 
men resolved  to  form  an  association  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  high  school  (an 
academy  or  progynmasium)  for  the  congrega- 
tions in  this  section  of  the  State.  Rev. 
Homme  was  a  member  of  this  association. 
The    German    brethren  resolved    to   locate 


I3S 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


their  high  school  in  the  same  place  where 
Rev.  Homme  thought  of  building  his  Or- 
phans' Home.  At  the  same  meeting  it  was 
■decided  to  select  a  location  between  Clinton- 
ville  and  Wausau  on  the  Milwaukee,  Lake 
Shore  &  Western  railway,  which  was  then 
being  built  through  the  western  portion  of 
Shawano  county.  A  committee  was  elected 
to  inspect  and  choose  a  site,  said  committee 
consisting  of  Jonas  Swenholt,  of  Scandina- 
via, Wis.,  John  Uvas,  of  \\'inchester  \\'is. , 
Aug.  Kraenke,  of  Reedfield,  Wis.,  and  Rev. 
Homme  (at  that  time  stationed  at  Win- 
chester, Wis.).  The  committee  accom- 
plished its  mission  the  9th  and  loth  of  Feb- 
ruary of  the  same  year  (1880),  and  chose 
this  region  for  the  founding  of  a  Wittenberg. 
Rev.  Homme  immediately  wrote  a  pe- 
tition to  the  railroad  company,  that  the 
station  which  was  then  in  contemplation  of 
establishment  might  be  named  Wittenberg, 
to  which  the  railroad  company  responded 
favorably.  The  railroad  had  at  that  time 
not  reached  that  far,  and  the  whole  region 
about  was  a  dark  and  lonely  wilderness,  de- 
void of  the  habitation  of  man.  The  first 
sign  of  civilization  in  Wittenberg  was  a  log 
cabin  made  by  the  railroad  company  for 
some  of  its  laborers;  the  first  frame  building 
in  the  town  was  a  store,  built  in  the  spring 
of  1880  by  Jonas  Swenholt,  of  Scandinavia, 
Wis.  The  following  year  Rev.  Homme 
built  his  residence  there,  and  moved  thither 
with  his  family  November  4,  1881.  By 
August  26,  1882,  the  Orphans'  Home  was 
completed,  and  on  that  day  was  opened 
with  an  enrollment  of  four  children  and  one 
aged  man.  During  the  next  summer,  1883, 
Rev.  Homme  built  a  second  building  (school 
house)  for  the  use  of  the  orphans,  and  on 
October  31  the  whole  institution  was  sol- 
emnly dedicated.  Rev.  A.  Mikkelson,  of 
Chicago,  officiating.  This  institution  was 
located  in  the  southern  part  of  the  village, 
•on  Blocks  30  and  31.  The  same  fall  of 
1883  the  German  Lutheran  clergymen  had 
their  high-school  building  completed,  and 
school  began  on  the  ist  of  September. 
After  a  course  of  six  months,  however,  the 
building  was  utterly  consumed  by  fire,  and 
school  was  again  resumed  in  Rev.  Homme's 
Orphans'  Home.      In  the  summer  of    1884 


the  building  was  rebuilt  by  Rev.  Homme, 
but  the  school  was  not  continued  any 
longer.  The  next  year  the  school  was  con- 
verted into  the  present  German  Orphans' 
Home. 

In  1882,  on  motion  of  Rev.  Homme,  a 
committee  was  appointed  by  the  Norwegian 
Synod  to  investigate  what  could  be  done  in 
regard  to  the  founding  of  an  Indian  mission 
in  that  vicinity.  As  the  Synod  did  not  take 
any  steps  to  realize  the  Indian  mission,  this 
committee  went  to  work  independently  to 
establish  an  Indian  mission.  It  selected  a 
place  three  and  one-half  miles  west  of  the 
village  of  Wittenberg,  where  in  the  fall  of 
1884  a  small  school  was  established,  and 
engaged  a  teacher  for  some  Indian  children. 

In  1885  the  committee  resolved  to  move 
the  Indian  Mission  School  nearer  to  the 
village.  A  large  building,  the  erection  of 
which  was  superintended  by  Rev.  Homme, 
was  completed,  and  dedicated  by  Rev.  J. 
EUestad  in  the  summer  of  18S6.  Rev.  T. 
Larson,  of  Harmony,  Minn.,  was  chosen 
by  the  committee  as  principal  of  this  In- 
dian mission.  Rev.  Homme  made  an  appli- 
cation to  the  National  Gov'ernment  for  pe- 
cuniary aid  for  the  Indian  Mission  School, 
which  was  complied  with.  In  1887  the 
Norwegian  Synod  obtained  full  possession  of 
the  Indian  mission,  and  has  continued  it  till 
the  present  date. 

Through  the  exertions  of  Rev.  Ellestad 
and  Rev.  Homme  a  Normal  school  was  es- 
tablished here  in  1887  in  connection  with 
the  Orphans'  Home.  The  school  was  con- 
tinued for  three  years  till  the  establishment 
of  the  United  Lutheran  Church,  in  1890. 
In  1885  Rev.  Homme  built  and  equipped  a 
printing  office  in  connection  with  the  Or- 
phans' Home.  From  this  institution  "For 
Gammel  og  Ung "  has  been  issued  every 
week,  and  has  reached  its  14th  volume. 
Out  of  this  institution  are  also  sent  forth 
two  weekly  Sunday-school  papers  [Son- 
ihigsskoh-  Bladct  and  Sunday  School 
Helper)  respectively,  the  first  Norwegian 
and  English  Sunday-school  papers  issued 
among  the  Norwegians  in  America.  The 
Orphans'  Home  has  been  in  existence  for 
thirteen  years,  and  during  this  time  two 
hundred  children  and  aged  persons  have  at 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHIGAL   RECORD. 


139 


different  times  had  their  homes  here.  At 
present  writing  there  are  seventy-five  chil- 
dren and  nine  aged  people  at  the  Home. 
On  June  11,  1882,  a  Norwegian  Lutheran 
congregation  was  formed,  which  now  num- 
bers fort}-  families,  exclusive  of  the  inmates 
of  the  Orphans'  Home.  The  trustees  of  the 
congregation  are  Peter  Olson,  Ole  Johnson 
and  Andreas  Grimstad.  The  minister  serv- 
ing this  congregation  and  the  Orphans' 
Home  is  Rev.  E.  J.  Homme;  H.  Madson 
is  deacon  of  the  congregation.  The  corner 
stone  for  this  new  Orphans'  Home  was  laid 
September  23,  1894,  by  Rev.  G.  Hoyme, 
of  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin. — So  much  for 
what  we  glean  from  the  pamphlet. 

In  truth  it  reads  more  like  a  fairy  talc 
than  a  bare  statement  of  facts,  and  a  view 
of  the  grounds,  whereon  stand  the  Home 
and  collateral  industries,  reminds  one  more 
of  the  work  of  an  enchanter  than  of  a  single- 
handed  mortal.  Mr.  Homme  came  to  Wit- 
tenberg a  poor  man,  yet  fearlessly  and  hope- 
fully built  and  equipped  a  school  which  fur- 
nished a  retreat  for  some  seventy-five  home- 
less boys  and  girls,  which  he  soon  began  to 
realize  was  too  small  for  his  philanthropic 
purpose.  Securing  a  tract  of  360  acres  of 
heavily-timbered  land  on  the  Embarrass 
river,  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Witten- 
berg, he  there  established  a  fine  water 
power,  and  in  1892  erected  a  sawmill  with  a 
capacity  of  35,000  feet  per  diem,  a  planer 
and  matcher,  and  also  a  shingle-mill.  In 
1894  he  began  the  erection  of  his  new 
Home,  which  is  now  (July,  1895)  under  roof, 
and  will  be  completed  for  occupation  in 
1896;  when  finished  it  will  accommodate 
two  hundred  children,  have  an  excellent 
school  and  a  select  library.  The  old  build- 
ing will  be  converted  into  a  Home  for  home- 
less old  people.  He  has  also  erected  a  fac- 
tory, equipped  with  a  sixt3'-five  horse-power 
steam  engine,  and  here  it  is  his  intention  to 
manufacture  church  furniture,  thus  furnish- 
ing the  children  with  employment,  at  the 
same  time  teaching  them  a  trade,  thereby 
making  it  as  nearly  as  possible  a  self-sup- 
porting Industrial  School.  Mr.  Homme 
has  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land  under  cultivation,  where  the  bov's  are 
taught  the  science  of  agriculture,  and  in  con- 


nection with  the  Home  he  will  in  the  near 
future  erect  a  gristmill,  in  addition  to  all 
which  it  is  his  intention  to  introduce  other 
industries,  thus  making  the  locality  a  man- 
ufacturing center.  It  is  stated  in  another 
part  of  this  sketch  that  Mr.  Homme  was 
instrumental  in  founding  and  erecting  the 
Indian  Mission  and  the  German  Lutheran 
Orphans'  Home,  but  he  is  now  in  no  way 
connected  with  either. 

In  1869  Rev.  E.  J.  Homme  and  Miss 
Ingeborg  Swenholt  were  united  in  marriage, 
and  eight  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
named  respectively:  William  (a  graduate  of 
Northfield  College),  Clara  J.,  Carl  J.,  luga, 
Mariin,  Anna,  Francke  and  Gerhard.  Mrs. 
Homme  was  born,  in  1845,  ^f  Stone  Bank, 
Waukesha  Co.,  Wis.,  daughter  of  John  and 
Ingeborg  Swenholt,  natives  of  Norwa\',  who 
came  to  this  country  in  1844,  finally  set- 
tling in  Scandinavia.  Waupaca  Co.,  Wis., 
where  the  father  died  and  the  mother  is  yet 
living.  In  his  political  preferences  our  sub- 
ject is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  he  is  one 
of  the  most  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Shawano  county,  popular  in  the  extreme. 
In  1893  he  was  nominated  against  his 
wishes  for  the  State  Senate,  and  although 
defeated  received  a  highly  flattering  support. 
In  all  his  marvelous  success,  the  result  of 
indefatigable  perseverance,  assiduous  in- 
dustry, and  sound  judgment,  Mr.  Homme 
never  forgets  to  give  his  amiable  wife  due 
credit  for  her  share  in  the  labor  of  love, 
which  has  by  no  means  been  a  small  one. 


LUTE    RICH,    one    of    the  most  pro- 
gressive   and    public-spirited    young 
agriculturists  of  St.  Lawrence  town- 
ship, Waupaca  county,  is  the  adopted 
son  of   Henry  A.  Rich,    a  sketch    of  whom 
follows. 

Our  subject  was  born  October  20,  1865, 
and  when  an  infant  of  eleven  months  was 
adopted  into  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  A.  Rich.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  the  vicinity  of  his  new  home, 
and  also  received  instruction  from  his  foster- 
mother,  Mrs.  Rich;  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  has  spent  some  time  in  the  lumber 
woods — never,  however,  being  absent    from 


"140 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


his  foster  parents  for  more  than  two  months. 
He  was  married  December  10,  1884,  at 
Ogdensburg,  ^^'aupaca  Co. ,  \\'is. ,  to  Miss 
Ella  A.  Pray,  who  was  born  July  15,  1862, 
in  Sherman  township,  Sheboj-gan  Co. ,  Wis. , 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Marj-  J.  (Sweet) 
Pray,  both  now  deceased,  the  father,  who 
was  born  in  February,  1874,  and  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  dying  July  18, 
1864,  of  a  wound,  in  a  hospital  at  Philadel- 
phia, the  mother,  who  was  born  in  July, 
1824,  passing  away  in  St.  Lawrence  town- 
ship, Waupaca  county,  February  8,  1890. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lute  Rich  have  come  two 
children:  Ada  M.,  born  October  15,  1885, 
and  Roy,  born  February  20,  1889.  In  his 
political  preferences  Mr.  Rich  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat until  1894,  since  when  he  has  been  as 
active  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party 
as  he  had  previously  been  in  those  of  the 
other.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  exem- 
plary young  men  of  his  township,  a  good 
farmer,  possessed  of  sound  business  methods, 
and  enjoying  the  esteem  of  many  warm 
friends  and  admirers. 

Henry  A.  Rich  was  born  April  28,  1822, 
in  the  town  of  Bucksport,  Hancock  Co., 
Maine,  a  son  of  Benjamin  Rich,  a  sailor  bj- 
vocation,  who  by  his  wife  Debora  (Ayery), 
had  a  familj-  of  ten  children — two  sons, 
Benjamin,  Jr.,  and  Henry  A.,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  farmer  and  died  at  Bucksport, 
Maine,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  and 
eight  daughters  who  all  married  and  all  died 
in  their  native  State.  Benjamin  Rich,  Sr. , 
the  father  of  these,  died  in  Bucksport, 
Maine,  in  the  full  faith  of  the  Universalist 
Church,  of  which  all  the  rest  of  the  family 
were  members. 

Henry  A.  Rich  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  at  which 
time  he  went  to  sea  as  a  cod  fisher  on  the 
Grand  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  being  em- 
ployed by  parties  who  make  that  a  regular 
business.  This  he  followed  si.\  months,  or 
until  December,  1847,  at  which  time  he  was 
married,  an  event  that  will  be  presently  fully 
spoken  of.  He  and  hisj-oung  wife  then  took  up 
housekeeping  on  the  Isle  of  Wetmore,  Han- 
cock Co.,  Maine,  situated  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Penobscot  river,  where  he  was  employed 


cutting  wood,  thence  in  the  spring  of  1848 
moving  to  near  the  town  of  Bucksport,  same 
county,  where  for  a  couple  of  years  he  lived 
on  a  farm  with  his  brother  Benjamin,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Prospect,  in  the  same 
county,  and  during  four  summers  was  em- 
ployed on  the  construction  of  Fort  Knox,  on 
the  Penobscot  river,  holding  the  responsible 
and  often  dangerous  position  of  head  blaster 
on  that  work.  In  the  fall  of  1854  he  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin  with  his  family,  taking 
steamer  from  Bucksport  to  Boston,  thence 
rail  to  Buffalo,  from  there  by  boat  to  De- 
troit, from  which  city  they  took  rail  to  Chi- 
cago, then  boat  to  Milwaukee,  thence  stage 
to  Fond  du  Lac,  again  boat  to  Oshkosh, 
thence  up  Wolf  river  to  Mukwa  township, 
from  the  landing  place  to  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Rich's  parents  in  Little  Wolf  township.  [In 
1850  ^Ir.  Rich  had  \isited  Wisconsin,  and 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  Oshkosh  and  Wolf 
river  prospecting  for  a  home,  but  could  find 
nothing  to  suit  him,  in  fact  was  rather  dis- 
gusted than  otherwise,  declaring  that  he 
would  not  accept  a  certain  160-acre  tract  of 
land  (where  Oshkosh  now  stands)  "if  it 
were  tendered  him  as  a  gift.  "] 

For  a  year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich  made 
their  home  with  James  Eldredge  (her  father), 
Mr.  Rich's  first  work  in  his  new  western 
home  being  in  the  woods;  then  in  the  spring 
of  1855  he  took  a  business  trip  to  Maine, 
his  wife  during  his  absence  filling  the  posi- 
tion of  temporary  teacher  of  the  first  school 
in  Royalton  township,  which  was  held  in  a 
partially  completed  store  room  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Royalton,  that  township,  the  regular 
teacher,  Lizzie  Crane,  being  sick.  In  the 
fall  of  1855  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Section  24,  St.  Lawrence  township,  Wau- 
paca county,  on  which  not  a  stick  of  timber 
had  been  cut  by  white  man,  and  here  a  farm 
house  was  the  first  building  to  be  erected,  a 
good  one  for  those  times,  and  later  on  he 
bought  forty  acres  of  marsh  land.  The  only 
inhabitants  in  that  town  when  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rich  arrived  were:  Judge  Ogden  and 
Dreutzer,  Simeon  Hopkins,  Marshall  Levitt, 
William  Shambeau,  Henry  \\'.  Eldredge, 
Smith  L.  Wait,  William  Cain,  Hiram  Col- 
lier, Smith  Collier,  Henry  Carrick,  Levi 
Carrick    and    Peter    Shepherd.      Ogden   & 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Dreutzer  were  building  the  first  mill  at 
Ogdensburg,  Henry  Eldredge  being  the 
millwright.  For  fifteen  winters  after  com- 
ing to  Wisconsin  Mr.  Rich  followed 
lumbering  in  the  woods,  his  summers  occu- 
pied in  improving  his  farm.  Mrs.  Rich 
taught  the  first  school  in  their  district  in  her 
own  house. 

On  December  29,  1847,  Mr.  Rich  was 
married  on  the  Isle  of  Wet  more,  Maine,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Eldredge,  who  was  born 
December  29,  1829,  in  Bucksport,  Hancock 
Co.,  Maine,  daughter  of  James  and  Susan 
(Warren)  Eldredge,  both  also  natives  of  that 
State,  the  former  a  millwright  by  trade, 
born  March  11,  1800,  in  Bucksport,  the 
latter  in  Troy  (near  Augusta)  May  28,  1801. 
They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  as 
follows:  The  first  child  died  in  infancy, 
David  (at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  was 
lost  at  sea  on  the  schooner  Capt.  Ginn,  near 
Cape  Cod),  Henry  W.  (died  at  Little  Wolf, 
Waupaca  county,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years),  Elizabeth  (deceased  at  the  age  of 
two  years),  James,  of  La  Crosse,  Wis.  (a 
natural  sailor,  ex-captain  of  a  Wolf  river 
steamboat,  and  who  served  in  the  navy 
during  the  war),  Elizabeth  A.  (Mrs.  Rich); 
Harriet  (married  to  Watson  Wadwell,  died 
in  St.  Lawrence  township),  Alvira  (married 
to  Smith  Wait,  and  also  died  in  St.  Law- 
rence township),  John  (died  in  town  of 
Little  Wolf,  Waupaca  Co.),  Isabella  (mar- 
ried to  Edson  Casey,  and  died  in  St.  Law- 
rence), also  three  that  died  in  infancy  un- 
named. 

In  1850  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eldredge  migrated 
westward  to  Wisconsin,  settling  in  Little 
W^olf  township  as  pioneers  of  the  almost  un- 
explored region,  and  here  hewed  out  a  com- 
fortable home.  He  and  his  wife  both  died  in 
St.  Lawrence  township,  November  9,  1861, 
and  January  24,  1886,  respectively,  and 
sleep  their  last  sleep  in  Ogdensburg  Park 
Cemetery. 

Henry  A.  Rich  died  August  18,  1887, 
after  a  two- years'  illness,  and  also  lies  buried 
in  Ogdensburg  Park  Cemetery.  He  was  a 
medium -sized  man,  wiry  and  energetic,  a 
good  citizen  and  excellent  farmer,  leaving  a 
comfortable  competence,  the  result  of  his 
individual  industry  and  perseverance.     Since 


his  death  his  widow  has  continued  to  reside 
on  the  old  home  farm.  She  is  a  most  in- 
telligent and  interesting  old  lady,  possessed 
of  a  very  retentive  memory,  and  consequently 
is  a  charming  conversationalist.  She  is  a 
member  of  no  particular  Church,  believing 
in  the  broad  and  humane  Church  of  Christ, 
and  a  straightfoward  course  through  life, 
with  charity  to  all.  She  and  her  husband 
had  no  children,  but  adopted  Lute  Rich  as 
related  in  sketch. 


AUSTIN  ALEXANDER  BIERCE, 
treasurer  of  the  village  of  lola, 
Waupaca  county,  was  born  March 
II,  1829,  at  Hudson  City,  Colum- 
bia Co.,  N.  Y. ,  a  son  of  Alexander  Neely 
Bierce,  who  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  a  direct  lineal  descendant  of  William 
Bradford,  who  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock  in 
1620,  and  was  first  governor  of  the  Plym- 
outh Colony.  The  mother,  Deborah  A. 
(Morrison)  Bierce,  was  a  native-  of  New 
York. 

When  our  subject  was  but  one  year  old 
the  family  moved  to  Greene  county,  N.  Y. , 
where  they  resided  until  1835,  when  they 
removed  to  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
here  our  subject's  boyhood  was  spent  in 
laboring  on  the  farm  and  in  a  sawmill.  As 
one  of  the  older  children  of  a  family  of 
eight,  his  work  during  his  younger  days  was 
necessarily  severe.  When  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  nineteen  his  parents,  stricken 
with  the  western  fever,  again  moved,  this 
time  in  May,  1848,  to  Illinois,  at  that  time 
a  wilderness,  and  settled  near  the  then 
small  town  of  Dixon,  the  county  seat  of 
Lee  county.  Austin  here  apprenticed  him- 
self to  one  Charles  Edson,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter. 

On  July  4,  1850,  at  China,  111.,  he  was 
married  to  Lydia  Alice  Hopkins,  daughter 
of  William  W.  and  Salome  (Adams)  Hop- 
kins, both  natives  of  Connecticut.  Mr. 
Hopkins  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  Mrs.  Hopkins  was 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Governor  Bradford 
through  another  of  his  sons,  of  which  he 
had  three.      Thus  two  distant  branches    of 


142 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


this  Colonial  family  were  united.  Lydia 
Alica  Hopkins  was  born  September  2 1 , 
1832,  at  New  Milford,  Penn. ,  and  was 
brought  by  her  parents  to  Illinois  in    1845. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bierce's  first  child,  Mar- 
tha J.,  was  born  May  26,  185  i,  and  August 
3,  1855,  a  son,  Neely,  was  born,  but  lived 
only  one  short  3'ear,  dying  August  4,  1856. 
In  1858  the  cry  of  new  country  struck  into 
the  minds  of  the  }"oung  couple,  and  in  May 
of  that  year  they  came  to  Wisconsin,  set- 
tling at  lola,  Waupaca  county,  where  they 
now  reside.  Another  daughter,  Lenora 
May,  was  born  to  them,  May  3,  i860. 
Shortly  thereafter  the  voice  of  war  began  to 
be  heard,  and  December  3,  1863,  Mr.  Bierce 
left  his  wife  and  children  to  answer  to  the 
call  of  his  country,  enlisting  in  Company  K, 
Tenth  Wis.  V.  I.,  as  private.  After  serv- 
ing in  this  regiment  for  eleven  months  he 
was  transferred  as  corporal  to  Company  K, 
Twenty-first  Wis.  \'.  I.,  where  he  was  soon 
promoted  to  sergeant,  and  in  which  he 
served  until  the  close  of  the  struggle.  His 
war  service  took  him  with  Gen.  Sherman 
on  that  memorable  march  to  the  sea  from 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  to  Savannah,  Ga. , 
and  through  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia  to 
Washington,  where  he  took  part  in  the 
Grand  Review  of  the  war  veterans.  His 
regiment  was  then  transported  by  train  and 
boat  to  Louisville,  Ky. ,  where  they  were 
mustered  out  June  18,  1865.  For  nearly 
two  years  after  the  war  Mr.  Bierce  was  un- 
able to  work  at  his  trade  as  carpenter,  on 
account  of  rheumatism  contracted  in  the 
service.  Six  months  of  this  time  were 
spent  with  relations  in  Illinois. 

On  May  30,  1868,  his  last  child.  Burton 
L. ,  was  born,  and  two  years  later,  May  3 1 , 
1870,  his  eldest  child,  Martha,  died.  In 
1885  Mr.  Bierce  was  granted  a  pension  of 
six  dollars  per  month,  and  in  June,  1890, 
this  was  increased  to  sixteen  dollars  per 
month.  At  this  time,  the  old  trouble,  sci- 
atic rheumatism,  had  made  almost  a  cripple 
of  him,  and  he  is  still  most  severely  troubled 
with  it. 

Mr.  Bierce  settled  in  lola  when  it 
could  hardly  be  called  a  hamlet;  where  the 
now  beautiful  streets  lie  it  was  but  a  wilder- 
ness.     For  thirty-five   years    his  residence 


has  been  on  the  same  lot  on  which  it  now 
stands,  his  two  remaining  children  being 
located  near  by- — the  son  on  one  side  and 
the  daughter  at  the  opposite  side  of  the 
parental  home.  Mr.  Bierce  has  been  a 
Republican  in  politics  from  his  first  vote  to 
the  present  time,  his  first  vote  for  President 
being  cast  for  '•  Rough-and-Ready  "  Zach. 
Taylor.  Never  an  office-seeker,  he  has 
held  at  different  times  town  oflices,  and  in 
1893  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  village  of 
lola.  He  was  re-elected  in  1894,  and  is 
the  present  incumbent.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bierce  have  been  active  members  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  for  years,  and  are  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  at  lola  at  the  present 
time.  Mr.  Bierce  is  also  an  active  member 
of  the  G.  A.  R. ,  and  the  present  commander 
of  lola  Post  No.  99,  lola. 


FINN    LAWLER.      The    Province    of 
New  Brunswick,  Canada,  has  given 
to    the    United    States,  and    to  the 
State    of     Wisconsin,    especially,    a 
goodly  number  of   her  stalwart,  industrious 
and   loyal  citizens,  among  whom  the   sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  stands  prominent. 

Mr.  Lawler  was  born  in  Douglas,  North- 
umberland Co.,  New  Brunswick,  May  8, 
1845,  ^  son  of  John  Lawler,  who  was  of 
the  same  nativity,  having  first  seen  the  light 
about  the  j'ear  1825.  The  family  are  of 
Irish  descent,  grandfather  Patrick  Lawler 
having  been  born  in  Queen's  County.  Ire- 
land, where  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Finn. 
In  1824  they  came  to  Canada,  settling  in 
Northumberland  county.  New  Brunswick, 
where  they  died,  the  grandfather  in  1877, 
the  grandmother  in  1880.  They  had  a 
family  of  seventeen  children,  of  whom  only 
the  names  of  the  following  six  are  re- 
membered: John,  James,  Mary,  Margaret, 
Jane  and  Elisha.  Patrick  Lawler  and  his 
wife  were  employed  some  thirty  years 
in  the  Marine  Hospital  which  was  estab- 
lished in  Northumberland  county,  N.  B., 
by  the  British  Government.  John  Lawler, 
father  of  Finn  Lawler,  is  at  present  living 
at  Newcastle,  N.  B.,  four  miles  from  where 
he  was  born.  He  was  educated  at  St.  John, 
same  province,  and  became  a  licensed  school 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPEICAL   RECORD. 


H.T 


teacher,  a  profession  he  followed  many  years, 
some  of  his  old  scholars  now  holding  gov- 
ernment offices  in  both  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  not  a  few  of  them  being  mem- 
bers of  Parliament.  In  1862  he  was  ap- 
pointed register  of  deeds  for  Northumber- 
land county,  which  office  he  still  holds,  and 
is  also  a  magistrate  by  government  appoint- 
'ment,  his  commission,  which  is  dated  1863, 
bearing  the  signature  of  Queen  Victoria. 
On  November  6,  1844,  Mr.  Lawler  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Landy,  who  was  born 
on  the  ocean,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
Landy,  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former  of 
whom  worked  in  the  shipyard  at  Douglas, 
N.  B.,  and  was  drowned  in  the  river  Mir- 
amichi.  Mrs.  Sarah  (Landy)  Lawler  had 
one  brother — John — and  three  sisters — Ann, 
Mary  and  Betsy.  To  John  and  Sarah 
Lawler  were  born  thirteen  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Margaret,  Jane,  Finn,  Richard,  James, 
Rogers,  John,  Eliza,  Mary  Ann,  and  four 
that  died  in  infancy.  On  November  6, 
1894,  the  parents  celebrated  their  "golden 
wedding." 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines,  whose 
name  appears  at  the  opening  of  this  sketch, 
received  his  education  under  his  father's  able 
tuition,  and  when  the  latter  became  register 
of  deeds  he  took  his  son,  Finn,  into  the 
registry  office  with  him.  Here  the  lad  re- 
mained about  three  3-ears,  or  until  October, 
1863,  when,  at  that  time  eighteen  years  old, 
he  went  to  New  York  City,  where  he  found 
employment  with  a  lumber  company  for  the 
first  three  days  as  common  laborer;  but  his 
employer,  discovering  his  aptitude  for  figures, 
at  once  promoted  him  to  the  position  of 
tally-keeper.  In  February,  1866,  he  came 
to  Wisconsin,  spending  a  few  months  among 
relatives  at  Shullsburg,  Lafayette  county, 
then  in  the  spring  moving  to  Chicago, 
whence  after  a  short  time  he  returned  to 
Wisconsin,  and  in  the  then  village  of  Oshkosh 
found  employment  in  a  clothing  store  some 
sixteen  months.  The  proprietors  of  the 
store,  concluding  to  open  a  branch  establish- 
ment at  Neenah,  sent  our  subject  there  to 
take  charge;  but  in  1868  he  left  that  busi- 
ness, and  moving  to  Shawano,  Wis.,  clerked 
in  a  hotel  there  one  winter,  in  the  following 
spring  taking  up  his  residence  in  Portage, 


where  he  was  once  more  employed  by  the 
clothing  firm  he  had  previously  worked  for.  At 
the  end  of  eighteen  months  the  firm  dissolved, 
and  our  subject,  then  turning  his  attention  to 
the  Wolf  River  Valley,  in  December,  1871, 
set  out  via  the  military  road  for  Rice  Lake 
(on  the  Wolf  river),  a  place  boasting  at  that 
time  of  but  one  house,  and  here,  in  company 
with  William  Johnson,  he  commenced  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians,  so  continuing  some 
two  years.  During  this  time  he  had  con- 
siderable experience  as  a  woodsman,  and  in 
1875,  in  company  with  one  Perry,  he  came 
to  Eagle  River,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
his  chief  occupation  being  connected  with 
timber  lands — prospecting,  estimating,  sur- 
veying, etc — and  for  several  years  he  served 
as  deputy  county  surveyor.  He  handles 
hardwood,  pine  and  spruce  timber,  and 
timber  is  estimated  and  sold  on  commission, 
taxes  also  being  paid  for  non-residents.  In 
this  he  is  in  partnership  with  A.  A.  Den- 
ton, the  style  of  the  firm  being  Denton  & 
Lawler.  They  are  also  considerably  inter- 
ested in  land  in  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 
In  his  political  preferments  Mr.  Lawler 
is  a  Democrat;  was  the  first  chairman  of  the 
town,  first  school  clerk,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1895  was  elected  assessor.  Much  thought 
of  by  his  neighbors,  he  enjoys  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  many  warm  friends  in  Eagle 
River,  in  which  rising  young  city  he  takes 
an  active  interest.  Mr.  Lawler  has  two 
brothers  living  in  New  Brunswick,  the  one, 
Richard  A.,  a  lawyer  in  Chatham,  the  other 
a  commission  merchant  in  Newcastle,  who 
is  also  deputy  registrar  of  deeds  for  the 
county  of  Northumberland;  he  has  also  two 
brothers,  John  and  James,  both  residing  at 
Eagle  River,  lumbermen  by  occupation. 
Our  subject  is  the  only  one  of  them,  no 
doubt,  who  can  boast  of  being  able  to  speak 
the  Chippewa  (Indian)  language.  He  has 
just  completed  a  cosy  residence  on  the  bank 
of  Eagle  river,  in  a  grove  of  maples  and 
balsams,  among  the  trees  which  he  loves 
and  where  he  has  spent  a  large  part  of  his 
lifetime.  He  owns  some  village  and  con- 
siderable outside  property  which  will  in  time 
no  doubt  become  valuable.  Mr.  Lawler  has 
not  yet  married,  but  unless  all  signs  fail  he 
may  in  the  near  future. 


M4 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


CHARLES  E.  SEARL,  the  pioneer 
jeweler  of  Merrill,  Lincoln  count}', 
still  continues  in  the  same  line  in 
that  city,  where  he  is  one  of  the 
leading  business  men.  He  was  born  in 
<jrand  Rapids,  Wis.,  March  14,  1851,  and 
is  a  son  of  J.  K.  Searl,  a  native  of  the  Buck- 
ej-e  State,  born  on  June  2,  1818.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Elisha  Searl,  was 
born  in  \'ermont,  and  by  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Boborety,  who  was  of  German  descent, 
became  the  father  of  si.\"  children,  namely: 
William,  Frank,  J.  K.,  a  daughter  whose 
name  is  not  given,  Loretta  and  Jemima. 
Near  Dayton,  Ohio,  he  carried  on  a  hotel, 
but  later  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  near 
Rock  Island,  but  afterward  went  to  Iowa, 
where  he  passed  his  last  days. 

J.  K.  Searl,  who  was  next  to  the  \oung- 
est  in  his  father's  family,  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  On  reaching 
man's  estate  he  was  married  in  Illinois  to 
Miss  Leah  Kline,  who  was  born  in  Nunda 
Valley,  N.  Y. ,  in  1824,  a  daughter  of  George 
Kline.  Her  parents  were  both  natives  of 
■German}',  where  they  were  married,  and  to 
them  was  born  a  family  of  eight  children: 
George,  John,  William,  Elizabeth,  Sarah, 
Leah,  Charles  and  Mary.  Her  father  was 
a  contractor  and  builder,  and  on  first  coming 
west,  located  in  Illinois,  but  in  1838  re- 
moved to  Grand  Rapids,  Wis.  His  eldest 
son,  George  Kline,  Jr.,  was  among  the  first 
settlers  of  the  latter  place,  arriving  there  in 
1833.  The  son's  wife  was  the  first  white 
woman  north  of  Fort  Winnebago;  she  was 
the  widow  of  Daniel  Whitney,  who  built  the 
first  sawmill  on  the  Wisconsin  river.  George 
Kline,  Jr. ,  also  erected  a  mill  at  Grand  Rapids 
at  an  early  day,  and  his  father's  death  occur- 
red there  in  1853;  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Searl 
died  in  1870.  George,  Jr.,  went  to  Califor- 
nia about  the  year  1851. 

The  father  of  our  subject  also  located  in 
Grand  Rapids,  Wis.,  in  1844,  where  he 
lumbered,  afterward  dealing  extensively  m 
horses,  andwas  something  of  a  politician,  hold- 
ing many  minor  offices.  He  departed  this 
life  in  December,  1892,  in  Merrill,  though  his 
home  at  the  time  was  at  Wautoma,  Wis. 
To  him  and  his  worthy  wife  were  born 
twelve  children,    two   of  whom  died  in   in- 


fancy. The  others  are  Mary  J. ,  Alonzo  W. , 
Charles  E. ,  Lillian,  Henry,  Emma  E., 
Elbert  F. ,  Ernest  E.,  Nila  B.  and  Vinnie 
D.  E.  The  mother  after  her  marriage 
taught  the  first  school  in  Grand  Rapids,  or 
in  fact  north  of  Fort  Winnebago;  this  was 
in  1846,  and  was  a  private  school.  She 
was  called  to  her  final  rest  January  4,  1888. 
The  eldest  brother  of  our  subject  served 
during  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the 
Fifty-second  \\^is.  \'.  I. 

Until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eight- 
een Charles  E.  Searl  was  able  to  attend 
school,  thus  acquiring  a  good  common- 
school  education,  and  then  carried  the  mail 
from  Grand  Rapids  to  Friendship,  Wis., 
for  his  father.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Adams  county. 
Wis.,  but  in  the  following  fall  he  returned 
to  Grand  Rapids  and  commenced  to  learn 
the  trade  of  jeweler  with  his  uncle,  Will- 
iam Kline,  for  whom  he  worked  four  years. 
In  1875  he  went  to  Wautoma,  Wis.,  and 
started  in  business  for  himself,  at  which 
place  he  continued  three  years,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Westfield,  Wis.,  remaining  there 
but  one  year,  during  the  fall  of  1879  clos- 
ing out  his  business  there  and  coming  to 
Jennie,  now  known  as  Merrill.  When  he 
arrived  here  the  village  contained  only 
about  five  hundred  inhabitants,  while  now 
it  is  a  flourishing  little  city  of  nine  thousand. 
He  was  the  first  jeweler  in  the  place,  and 
still  continues  to  conduct  the  same  business, 
in  which  he  has  met  with  excellent  success. 

On  December  23,  1875,  Mr.  Searl  was 
united  in  marriage  at  Wautoma,  Wis.,  with 
Miss  Emma  A.  Bean,  who  was  born  in  that 
city,  in  1859,  to  Albert  and  Arvilla  (Conner) 
Bean,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight 
children — Charles,  John,  Francena,  George, 
Fred,  Katie,  Ed  and  Emma  A.  Her  parents 
came  to  Wisconsin  in  1856,  where  her 
father  followed  his  trade  of  blacksmithing; 
his  death  occurred  in  1872,  that  of  his  wife 
in  1 880.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Searl  were  born 
six  children,  to  wit:  Ed,  who  is  married 
and  lives  in  Merrill;  Harl,  Ethel,  Arthur 
and  Nile  at  home;  and  Glen,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  about  eighteen  months. 

Mr.     Searl    may    be    properly     classed 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


H5 


among  the  self-made  men  of  Lincoln  coun- 
ty, who  by  the  exercise  of  their  own  in- 
dustry and  perseverance  have  not  only 
gained  for  themselves  a  competence,  but 
have  materially  assisted  in  the  progress  and 
advancement  of  the  country  around  them. 
He  has  made  many  friends  since  coming  to 
Merrill,  and  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact  is  held  in  the  highest  respect.  So- 
cially he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  while  politically  he  casts 
his  vote  with  the  Prohibition  party  as  it 
embodies  his  views  on  the  temperance  ques- 
tion. 


GOODMAN  AMUNDSON,  one  of  the 
honored  and  respected  pioneers  of 
Waupaca  county,  now  makes  his 
home  in  Tola.  His  birth  occurred 
in  Norway,  December  27,  1S43,  and  he  is  a 
son  of  Amand  Olson,  a  farmer  of  but  ordi- 
nary means.  In  1849  the  father  with  his 
family  of  five  children  left  Norway  for  the 
United  States,  and  were  six  weeks  and  five 
days  on  the  ocean,  landing  on  American  soil 
in  the  latter  part  of  August.  From  New 
York  City  they  proceeded  up  the  Hudson, 
and  by  the  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
thence  around  the  lakes  to  Milwaukee.  They 
located  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Muskego, 
\\'aukesha  county. 

In  the  summer  of  1852  the  father  brought 
his  family  to  Waupaca  county,  where  land 
was  cheaper  and  more  of  his  cauntrymen 
then  lived.  There  were  no  railroads  at  this 
time,  and  two  yokes  of  cattle  hauled  them 
and  their  household  goods,  while  their  stock 
was  driven.  They  came  by  the  way  of  Berlin, 
•Wis.,  the  road  being  through  a  new  country, 
and  where  now  are  good  farms  at  that 
time  was  an  unbroken  forest.  They  located 
on  a  farm  in  Scandinavia  township,  it  being 
in  Town  23,  Range  11  east,  and  was  in  this 
primitive  condition,  they  making  the  first 
improvements.  A  portion  of  it  was  covered 
with  timber,  but  the  almost  annual  forest 
fires  at  that  time  had  destroyed  most  of  the 
trees,  and  nothing  but  bushes  remained. 
After  the  settlers  came  in  the  fires  were  not 
so  numerous,  and  soon  clumps  of  oak  trees 
grew   up   and  are  standing  as  timber  today. 


where,  easily  within  the  memory  of  our  sub- 
ject, there  was  nothing  but  brush  at  one 
time.  His  father  followed  farming  during 
the  remainder  of  his  active  life,  and  his  death 
occurred  March  9,  1895,  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years.  His  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest 
in  July,  1 891,  when  she  had  reached  the  ex- 
treme age  of  ninety-seven  years.  Both 
were  buried  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery  in 
Scandinavia,  Wis.,  of  which  Church  they 
were  among  the  first  members.  The  father 
possessed  great  vitality  even  at  his  ad- 
vanced age,  and  shortly  before  his  death 
performed  labor  becoming  even  a  man 
sixty  years  his  junior.  He  was  a  good 
farmer,  very  energetic,  and  was  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  was  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Amundson  was  reared  as  a  pioneer 
farmer  boy,  and  to  quote  him:  "  His  ed- 
ucation or  schooling  was  begun  in  early  life, 
and  consisted  principally  in  handling  a  yoke 
of  cattle  and  a  breaking  plow."  Much  of 
this  was  to  be  done,  and  his  attendance  at 
school  was  quite  brief,  as  few  if  any  schools 
were  in  existence  in  the  township  when  he 
arrived.  He  lived  at  home  until  the  age  of 
eighteen  when  he  began  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith with  Samuel  Silvei thorn,  at  Wau- 
paca, where  he  was  at  work  when  President 
Lincoln  called  for  troops  to  aid  in  the 
preservation  of  the  Union.  Being  a  young 
man,  robust  and  strong,  Mr.  Amundson  en- 
listed in  the  service  of  his  adopted  country, 
becoming  a  member  of  Company  G,  Twenty- 
first  Wis.  V.  I.,  August  12,  1862,  at  Wau- 
paca. From  there  he  went  with  the  regi- 
ment to  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  later  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  and  Covington,  Ky. ,  and  thence 
to  Louisville  where  the  campaign  opened. 
He  was  ill  during  the  battles  of  Perryville 
and  Stone  River,  so  that  his  first  engage- 
ment was  at  Chickamauga,  after  which  he 
remained  with  his  regiment,  never  losing  a 
day  off  duty  until  August  6,  1864,  when  be- 
fore Atlanta.  He  was  struck  with  a  burst- 
ing shell  which  exploded  above  him,  the 
force  of  it  hurling  him  fifteen  yards.  His 
companions  thought  that  he  was  dead,  and 
though  badly  hurt,  he  insisted  on  going  with 
the  regiment,  which  the  doctors  finally  per- 
mitted, but  for  ten  days  was    unable    to  do 


146 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPBICAL   RECORD. 


active  duty.  His  regiment  went  with  Sher- 
man to  Savannah,  and  he  participated  in  the 
campaigns  of  North  and  South  CaroHna, 
later  taking  part  in  the  Grand  Review  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  was  discharged  in 
that  city  June  25,  1865,  but  the  regiment 
remained  intact  until  reaching  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  where  it  was  mustered  out.  Mr. 
Amundson  immediately  returned  to  Wau- 
paca county,  and  in  Scandinavia  township, 
in  1867,  married  Miss  Christina  Hermanson, 
a  native  of  Winneconne,  Wis.,  daughter  of 
Herman  Hermanson,  "  Little  Holt,  "  who 
came  from  Norway  to  America  in  1852.  To 
them  were  born  seven  children:  Augusta, 
wife  of  Rev.  L.  K.  Abarg,  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  South  Dakota:  Hattie,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  fifteen;  and  Agnes  E.,  Lillian 
R.,  Hilda,  Ada  and  Edna,  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Amundson  located 
at  Amherst,  Wis.,  where  he  built  a  shop, 
and  for  ten  years  carried  on  blacksmithing, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  the  same  business 
for  three  years  in  Winchester,  Winnebago 
county.  He  then  returned  to  Amherst 
where  he  still  owned  property,  which  later 
he  traded  for  a  farm  in  Alban  township. 
Portage  county.  After  farming  there  for  a 
year  and  a  half,  he  in  the  fall  of  1886  came 
to  lola,  and  for  three  years  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Frogner  Brothers,  since  which  time 
he  has  conducted  a  shop  of  his  own  with 
good  success.  For  the  last  fifteen  years  he 
has  suffered  from  rheumatism,  which  greath' 
handicaps  him,  but  he  is  still  enterprising 
and  industrious. 

Mr.  Amundson  has  never  taken  a  very 
active  part  in  political  affairs,  but  alwaj-s 
votes  with  the  Republican  party,  and  for 
one  year  served  as  township  treasurer.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  lola  Post,  No. 
99,  G.  A.  R. ,  in  which  he  has  held  various 
offices,  and  is  now  serving  as  senior  vice 
commander.  Himself  and  wife  are  con- 
nected with  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  while 
a  resident  of  Amherst  he  was  one  of  the  of- 
ficers in  that  religious  body.  By  his  own 
industrious  efforts  he  has  become  a  well-to- 
do  man,  and  still  owns  a  good  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Alban  town- 
ship, Portage  Co.,  Wis.  He  has  seen  the 
many  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the 


country  where  he  lives;  can  remember  when 
wild  game  was  very  plentiful;  and  deer  could 
be  shot  from  the  cabin  door.  He  has 
hunted  the  cows  on  the  present  site  of  lola, 
when  for  miles  and  miles  there  were  no 
fences.  Farming  was  then  carried  on  with 
very  crude  implements,  and  he  used  to  come 
to  mill  at  lola  in  the  cold  winters  on  an  old 
sled,  wearing  no  overcoat  or  overshoes,  yet 
could  stand  the  cold  better  than  with  the 
modern  equipments  of  the  present  day.  He 
is  well  known  in  this  community  where  he 
has  long  resided,  and  by  all  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem. 


ANTON     G.    WILLIAMS    was   born 
August  24,   1862,  on  the  farm  which 
he  now   owns    and  occupies   in    the 
township  of  Scandinavia,  Waupaca 
county. 

His  father,  Ove  \\'illiamson,  was  born 
in  Norway  January  20,  18 19,  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed 
upon  the  farm.  His  marriage  to  Miss  Annie 
Kjos  took  place  in  Norway  in  1844,  and  five 
years  later,  in  1849,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  a  sailing  vessel  to  the  New  World,  where 
he  hoped  to  secure  a  home  and  compe- 
tence. He  first  located  in  Muskego,  \\'is., 
where  he  worked  as  a  common  laborer  some 
three  years,  coming  thence  to  \\'aupaca 
county  in  1853.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers,  and  is  now  the  second  oldest  living 
resident  in  Scandinavia  township.  The  hard- 
ships and  trials  of  pioneer  life  are  familiar  to 
him,  and  the  history  of  that  county  is  known 
to  him  from  the  days  when  it  was  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness,  inhabited  mostly  by 
Indians.  He  has  borne  an  important  part 
in  the  work  of  development,  transforming 
the  land  from  its  uncultivated  condition  into 
rich  and  valuable  farms.  Here  he  purchased 
160  acres  of  wild  land,  on  which  not  a 
furrow  had  been  turned  or  an  impro\ement 
made,  and  successful!)' continued  its  cultiva- 
tion until  1884,  when  enfeebled  health  caused 
him  to  lay  aside  business  cares,  and  he  is 
now  living  a  retired  life.  He  worked  for 
many  years  on  the  river  rafting  logs,  and  his 
career  has  been  that  of  an  industrious  ener- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


147 


getic  man,  bringing  to  him  a  well-merited 
competence.  Mrs.  Williamson.who  was  born 
in  Norway,  September  29,  1820,  is  also  yet 
living.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  served  in  several  local  offices  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents. He  filled  the  office  of  assessor 
for  twelve  jears,  and  has  also  been  township 
treasurer.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  The  children  were 
Annie,  now  the  wife  of  August  Larson,  a 
resident  of  Wausau;  William,  who  is  living 
in  La  Crosse,  Wis. ;  Andrew,  the  efficient 
sheriff  of  Waupaca  county;  Berit,  deceased; 
Denah;  Buck,  who  is  located  in  lola.  Wis.; 
Edward  Ove,  of  Waupaca;  Anton  G.,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  and  Lewis  B.,  deceased. 
Anton  G.  Williams  conned  his  lessons  in 
the  public  schools  near  his  home,  and  ac- 
quired a  good  practical  educations.  Under 
the  parental  roof  he  was  reared  to  manhood, 
and  at  an  early  age  he  began  work  in  the 
fields,  so  that  he  was  soon  familiar  with  farm 
work  in  its  various  departments.  He  now 
owns  and  operates  the  old  home  farm  on 
which  he  was  born,  comprising  120  acres  of 
land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under  cul- 
tivation and  improved  in  a  manner  that  in- 
dicates his  practical  and  progressive  spirit, 
and  makes  his  farm  one  of  the  best  in  the 
community.  He  is  accounted  one  of  the 
representative  agriculturists  of  Waupaca 
county,  as  well  as  one  of  its  most  prominent 
citizens.  He  has  been  called  to  official 
honors,  having  served  as  a  member  of  the 
town  board  of  supervisors  and  as  treasurer  of 
the  school  district,  and  in  his  political  views 
has  followed  his  father's  e.xample  by  always 
supporting  the  Republican  party.  Like  the 
honored  family  V)  which  he  belongs  he  is 
•connected  with  the  Lutheran  Church. 


REV.  JACOB  PATCH.  This  ven- 
erable gentleman,  now  in  the  eighty- 
first  year  of  his  age  and  the  forty- 
ninth  of  his  ministry  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  is  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  highly  esteemed  clergymen  of 
Portage  county,  an  earnest  Christian,  and  a 
zealous  worker  in  the  Lord's  vineyard. 

Mr.  Patch  was  born   in  Groton,  Mass., 


January  12,  181 5,  and  is  a  son  of  Zara  and 
Susan  (Nutting)  Patch,  who  were  also  born 
in  Massachusetts,  and  were  descendants  of 
i  good  old  Puritan  stock,  the  ancestors  hav- 
ing come  over  during  the  year  1600.  The 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  of  1776,  and  the  father  a  par- 
ticipant in  the  war  of  18 12.  Zara  and 
Susan  Patch  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  but  two  now  survive:  Zara, 
who  is  still  living  in  Groton,  Mass.,  and 
Jacob,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  when  the 
latter  was  twelve  years  old  the  father  died. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  our  subject  went  to 
Sharon,  Conn.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Western  Reserve  College  at  Hudson,  Ohio, 
and  took  his  theological  course  at  the  The- 
ological Seminary  in  the  same  town,  grad- 
uating from  the  latter  institution  in  1845. 
Soon  afterward  he  engaged  in  the  ministry, 
his  first  charge  being  at  Orland,  Ind.  In 
1845,  at  Honeoye  Falls,  N.  Y. ,  Rev. 
Jacob  Patch  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Bush, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children, 
of  whom  two  are  deceased.  The  following 
is  a  brief  account  of  the  four  who  are  yet 
living:  George  H.,  an  artist  of  more  than 
ordinary  merit,  married  Miss  Lauretta 
Ramsey,  of  Barton,  Washington  Co.  Wis., 
and  they  have  a  family  of  four  children; 
Jennie  B.,  an  invalid,  is  now  residing  in 
California  for  the  benefit  of  her  health; 
Mary  H.,  a  physician,  and  now  residing  at 
Stevens  Point,  is  a  graduate  of  Holyoke 
College,  Mass.,  also  of  the  Medical  College 
of  Chicago,  and  of  the  Training  Hospital 
for  Nurses  at  Hartford,  Conn. ;  Martha 
Ann,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Daniel  Campbell, 
of  Canfield,  Ohio,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ox- 
ford Female  Seminary,  of  Oxford,  Ohio, 
and  was  principal  of  Poynette  Academy, 
Poynette,  Columbia  Co.,  Wis.,  for  the  first 
six  years  of  its  history. 

At  Lima,  Ind.,  in  1S46,  Rev.  Jacob 
Patch  was  regularly  ordained  a  minister  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  he  was  pastor 
of  the  parish  of  Orland,  Ind.,  for  twenty 
years.  In  1866,  on  account  of  ill  health, 
being  obliged  to  resign  the  pastorate  of  this 
parish,  he  removed  to  Stevens  Point,  Port- 
age Co. ,  Wis. ,  where  he  took  charge  of  the 
First  Presbyterian   Church,    which  at    that 


I4S 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPHICAL   RECORD. 


time  had  a  membership  of  only  ten  persons, 
but  under  his  ministration  of  four  years  it 
increased  to  fort}'.  In  1872,  having  re- 
gained his  health,  he  was  solicited  to  return 
to  his  old  parish  at  Orland,  Ind.,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  again  ministered  to  the  spirit- 
ual wants  of  that  parish,  continuing  there 
for  a  period  of  three  years,  then  returning 
to  Stevens  Point.  Since  that  time  he  has 
been  engaged  principally  in  missionary  work, 
in  towns  along  the  line  of  the  Wisconsin 
Central  railroad,  though  frequently  occupy- 
ing pulpits  in  various  other  churches.  He 
was  also  the  organizer  of  the  Presbyterian 
Churches  at  Phillips,  Price  county.  Wis., 
and  Marshfield,  Wood  Co.,  Wis.  In  social 
life  Rev.  Mr.  Patch  is  a  man  of  ardent  and 
sincere  attachments,  ever  ready  and  willing 
to  serve  his  friends,  often  in  the  face  of  re- 
sponsibility or  personal  risk.  When  duty 
has  called,  he  has  gone  forward  without 
faltering  or  shrinking  by  reason  of  apparent 
difficulty  or  threatened  dangers,  by  day  or 
by  night,  at  home  or  abroad.  An  earnest 
worker  in  the  field  of  his  Master,  a  genial 
and  companionable  friend,  an  able  organ- 
izer and  executor,  read}'  for  any  task  that 
can  rightly  bring  help  or  comfort  to  the 
burdened,  he  has  won  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  been 
endeared  to  them  by  his  Christian  walk  in 
life. 


AUGUSTUS  SCHROEDER,  a  pros- 
perous agriculturist  of  Little  Wolf 
township,  Waupaca  county,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Prussia,  Germany,  born 
October  22,  1838,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Caro- 
line (Ulrich)  Schroeder,  who  were  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children:  Minnie  (who,  and 
four  others,  died  in  Germany),  Augustus, 
Caroline  (now  Mrs.  Weisgerber,  of  Weyau- 
wega,  who  has  five  children),  and  Albert  (a 
farmer  of  Lind  township,  Waupaca  county). 
In  1857  Henry  Schroeder,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  and  coming  to  Wisconsin,  settled  in 
Lind  township,  Waupaca  county,  where  he 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  none  of 
which  was  cleared  e.xcept  two  acres,  but 
not  having  much  timber  growth  on  any  por- 


tion. A  dwelling,  16x24  feet,  had  been 
erected,  and  here  the  family  commenced 
their  New- World  home,  numbering  among 
the  first  settlers  of  that  locality,  \\'aupaca 
being  then  but  a  small  village.  Later  the 
father  purchased  another  eighty-acre  tract 
adjoining  his  first  purchase,  and  he  and  his 
wife  are  yet  living  on  the  old  homestead,  he 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years, 
she  being  some  four  years  younger.  For 
his  age  the  venerable  father  is  unusually 
active,  and  it  is  worthy  of  mention  that  in 
1893  he  walked  from  his  own  home  to  that  of 
his  son,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines,  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch,  received  a 
fairly  liberal  common-school  education,  and 
was  reared  to  practical  farm  life  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  he  rented  a  small  piece  of 
land  near  the  homestead,  in  Lind  township, 
Waupaca  county,  and  worked  it  with  his 
father's  implements  and  team,  so  continuing 
until  1S62,  when  he  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  wild  land  in  the  same  locality,  which  he 
improved  and  cultivated  till  the  fall  of  1864. 
At  that  time,  on  October  15,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Forty-fourth  Wis.  V.  I., 
which  regiment  was  sent  to  Nashville,  there 
remaining  on  guard  duty,  as  part  of  the  re- 
serve force  until  February,  1865,  at  which 
time  it  was  sent  to  Kentucky.  Here  our 
subject  was  stationed  until  August,  1S65, 
when  he  was  discharged  and  returned  home, 
and  once  more  he  devoted  his  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  improvement  of  his  land.  In 
1872  he  moved  into  the  village  of  Weyau- 
wega,  and  there  opened  a  meat  market 
which  he  conducted  altogether  about  two 
and  one  half  years,  after  which  he  bought  a 
hotel  in  the  same  village,  being  proprietor 
of  the  same  some  six  years,  or  until  1882, 
when  he  traded  the  hotel  propert}"  for  the 
farm  he  now  owns  in  Little  Wolf  township, 
consisting  of  1 1  5  acres,  twenty  of  which  are 
in  good  arable  condition.  On  January  11, 
1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Rhoda  (Smith)  Van  Vorst,  whose  husband, 
Asa  Van  Vorst,  died  in  the  Civil  war,  leav- 
ing two  children:  Dora  (now  Mrs.  Fred 
Zastrow,  of  Royalton),  and  William  (living 
at  the   present   time  with  his  step-father). 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


149. 


To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schroeder  were  born  two 
children:  Alice  (married  to  George  A.  Mc- 
Kinley  of  Iowa,  but  died  leaving  one  son, 
Neil,  who  passed  from  earth  in  infancy) 
and  Mary  (now  a  school  teacher,  and  living 
at  home).  In  politics  our  subject  has  been  a 
Republican  for  the  past  twelve  years,  and 
Mrs.  Schroeder  and  her  children  are  all 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in  which 
she  takes  an  active  interest. 

Mrs.  Rhoda  Schroeder,  wife  of  Augus- 
tus Schroeder,  was  born  November  29,  i  S38, 
in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y. ,  daughter  of 
Oliver  and  Lydia  (Cross)  Smith,  well-to-do 
farming  people,  who  had  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  as  follows:  Oliver,  a  carpenter  of 
Shiocton,  Wis. ;  Elizabeth,  now  living  in 
^^'eyauwega,  Wis.;  Owen,  who  now  lives  in 
Royalton,  Wis.,  retired;  Sarah.  Nancy  and 
Mary,  all  three  deceased;  Rhoda,  Mrs. 
Schroeder;  Jerome,  who  died  in  the  war; 
Lydia,  now  wife  of  William  Kurtz,  a  farmer 
of  Dayton;  John,  deceased;  Garrett,  and 
Lucretia,  wife  of  Isidore  Como,  in  the  em- 
ploy of  a  railroad  company  at  Stevens 
Point,  Wis.  In  1850  the  family  came  to 
Wisconsin,  settling  in  Lind  township,  Wau- 
paca county,  where  the  father  bought  160 
acres  of  land,  at  which  time  Weyauwega 
was  a  hamlet  of  but  two  or  three  shanties. 
Here  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Schroeder  passed 
the  rest  of  their  honored  lives,  dying,  the 
father  December  i,  i860,  the  mother  Janu- 
ary 23,  1879. 


RICHARD  A.  COOK,  proprietor  of 
the  Central  City  Iron  Works,  at 
Stevens  Point,  Portage  county,  is  a 
highly  esteemed  citizen  and  one  of 
the  leading  manufacturers  in  that  city.  He 
was  born  of  English  ancestry  in  Netherton, 
near  Huddersfield,  England,  May  24,  1850, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  Cook,  who 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  three  of 
whom  survive,  namely:  Richard  A.;  Mary 
Etta,  wife  of  John  D.  Shaffer,  a  prominent 
dry-goods  merchant  of  Stevens  Point,  and 
George  W.,  a  machinist  and  roundhouse 
foreman  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  railroad 
at  Waukesha,  W^aukesha  county,  Wisconsin. 
John  Cook,  with  his  family,  came  to  the 


United  States  about  the  year  1S55,  located 
in  Burlington,  Racine  county.  Wis.,  and 
there  pursued  his  vocation  of  woolen  man- 
ufacturer. In  1866  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Fond  du  Lac  coun- 
ty, and  died  there  soon  afterward;  his  widow 
still  survives,  and  resides  in  Stevens  Point. 
The  son,  Richard  A.,  who  was  a  five-year- 
old  lad  when  the  family  came  to  the  United 
States,  was  reared  and  educated  in  Burling- 
ton, Racine  Co.,  Wis.,  went  to  Fond  du 
Lac  with  his  parents  in  1866,  there  learned 
the  trade  of  machinist,  and  resided  there 
until  1875.  In  that  year  he  removed  to 
Stevens  Point,  where,  in  connection  with 
Daniel  Seyler,  he  purchased  the  Pinery  Iroa 
Works,  and  conducted  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Seyler  &  Cook  for  four  years. 
About  1879  this  partnership  was  dissolved 
and  a  new  one  formed  with  George  A.  Pack- 
ard, under  the  firm  name  of  R.  A.  Cook  & 
Co. ,  under  which  the  business  was  carried 
on  until  1883,  when  Mr.  Cook  purchased 
Mr.  Packard's  share  in  the  business. 

The  works  were  destroyed  by  fire  in 
October,  1889,  and  during  the  following 
summer  the  extensive  estabhshment  known 
as  the  Central  City  Iron  Works  was 
erected. 

In  April,  1882,  at  Sheboygan  Falls, 
Shebo3'gan  Co. ,  W^is. ,  Richard  A.  Cook  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  A.  Trow- 
bridge, and  two  children  were  born  to  them, 
one  of  whom  survives,  Alice  Estelle.  Mrs. 
Cook  died  at  Stevens  Point,  October  4, 
1888,  and  May  19,  1890,  Mr.  Cook  married 
Miss  Delia  E.  Damp,  of  Oshkosh,  to  which 
union  has  been  born  one  child,  Ralph  A. 
Mr.  Cook  is  a  member  of  Evergreen  Lodge, 
No.  93,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Crusade  Command- 
ery.  No.  17,  and  of  Forest  Chapter.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  in  his  political  views; 
in  religious  affiliation  the  family  attend  the 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Cook  has  the  most 
e.xtensive  and  best  equipped  foundry  in 
Stevens  Point,  if  not  in  the  whole  of  north- 
ern Wisconsin,  turns  out  everything  con- 
nected with  sawmill  and  gristmill  machinery, 
as  well  as  other  classes  of  iron  work,  and 
furnishes  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railroad 
Company  with  all  their  castings,  with  the 
exception  of  car-wheels.      He  is  a  prosper- 


150 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ous  and  progressive  manufacturer,  of  unusual 
culture  and  brilliant  faculties,  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  matters  tending  to  the  welfare  of 
the  city  and  county  generally;  is  represented 
in  the  city  council  from  the  Second  ward, 
having  been  elected  at  the  last  election  for 
the  term  of  two  years.  Mr.  Cook  has  a  high 
character  for  honesty  and  integrity,  and  his 
genial  manner  has  won  him  hosts  of  friends. 


JAMES  E.  ROGERS.  This  well  known 
and  popular  citzen  of  Stevens  Point, 
Portage  county,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
county,  N.  Y. ,  December  i8,  1842,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  N.  and  Eliza  (Adams) 
Rogers,  who  were  born  in  New  York  State, 
and  who  came  to  Wisconsin  in  June,  1852, 
locating  in  Hartford,  Washington  county. 
James  N.  Rogers,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  worked  at  his  trade  of  black- 
smith in  Hartford,  Wis.,  in  connection  with 
the  building  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  railway,  and  in  1853  removed  with 
his  family  to  Mayville,  Dodge  county,  where 
he  resided  till  186S.  A  portion  of  this  time 
he  worked  at  the  blacksmith  trade,  and  later 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1868 
they  removed  to  Portage  county,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  the  town  of  Stockton, 
where  they  passed  their  remaining  years, 
each  living  to  an  advanced  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  five 
areliving,  namely:  Maria,  wife  of  Ira  John- 
son, residing  in  the  State  of  Washington; 
James  E. ;  Cornelius  L. ,  residing  in  Stevens 
Point,  Portage  county;  Josephine,  wife  of 
George  Rhodes,  residing  in  Dakota;  and 
Henry,  residing  in  Stevens  Point.  There  is 
also  a  daughter  by  a  former  marriage,  now 
the  wife  of  N.  C.  Lawrence,  residing  in 
Stevens  Point.  Mrs.  Rogers  died  in  March, 
1890,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  and  Mr. 
Rogers  in  November  of  the  same  year,  aged 
eighty-three. 

James  E.  Rogers,  subject  of  sketch, 
came  to  Wisconsin  with  his  parents  when  he 
was  but  ten  years  of  age,  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  the  village  schools 
of  Mayville,  Dodge  county,  Wis.,  and  was 
afterward  employed  during  the  summer 
on    his    father's    farm,    and    in    the  winter 


teaching  school.  In  the  spring  of  1871  he 
was  elected  clerk  of  the  courts  for  Portage 
county,  and  filled  that  position  till  January, 
1 88 1.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature,  representing  Portage  county 
one  term.  In  the  summer  of  1881  he  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  examiner  in  the 
pension  office  at  Washington,  resigned  after 
one  year,  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  re- 
turned to  Stevens  Point.  After  remaining 
here  about  a  year,  and  having  regained  his 
health,  he  was  re-appointed  to  the  pension 
office,  returned  to  \\'ashington  in  the  spring  of 
1883,  and  remained  there  through  the  sum- 
mer. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was 
detailed  from  the  office  as  a  special  exam- 
iner for  a  portion  of  the  State  of  Iowa  and 
of  southern  Dakota,  and  filled  that  position 
four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  or  in 
the  fall  of  1887,  he  returned  to  Washington, 
and  was  engaged  in  quarrying  two  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1890  he  was  chosen  city  clerk 
of  Stevens  Point,  which  position  he  resigned 
July  II,  1895,  having  discharged  the  duties 
thereof  for  upward  of  five  years,  with  honor 
to  himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  citizens  generall}\ 

In  December,  1890,  in  Waupaca,  Wau- 
paca county,  Wis.,  James  E.  Rogers  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Baker,  of  Stockton, 
Portage  count}',  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born  two  children,  only  one  of  whom,  Mabel, 
is  now  living.  Mr.  Rogers  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  part}',  and  represented 
the  Second  ward  of  Stevens  Point  during 
1879  and  up  to  the  spring  of  1881.  He  is 
an  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen,  and 
has  many  friends.  The  family  are  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


NATHANIEL  POPE,  one  of  the  lead- 
ind  farmers  of  Lind  township,  Wau- 
paca county,  and  an  e.xpert  and  suc- 
cessful cattle  buyer,  was  born  in 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  June  3,  1829, 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Ida  (Mattox)  Pope, 
the  father  a  native  of  Connecticut,  the 
mother  of  \'ermont. 

Nathaniel  Pope,  Sr. ,  was  by  trade  a 
shoemaker,  and  in  addition  to  following  that 
vocation  made  an  effort  to  win  a  better  live- 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


lihood  by  (arming.  The  family  of  children 
consisted  of  George  M.,  who  died  in  Lind 
township;  Sarah  A.,  widow  of  A.  Gardner, 
of  the  same  township;  Pliny,  a  lake  captain, 
who  was  drowned  in  Lake  Michigan  on  the 
brig  "Tuscarora; "  Alexander,  of  Erie 
county,  Penn. ;  Alvin,  of  Nebraska;  Alfred, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Nathaniel;  Albert,  of 
Lind  township;  and  Mary  Ida,  now  Mrs. 
David  Parrish,  of  Waupaca. 

Nathaniel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
received  such  an  education  as  the  schools  of 
Erie  county,  Penn.,  afforded.  He  was  a 
studious  lad,  with  an  active  and  inquiring 
mind,  and  he  preferred  the  fireside  with  a 
book  of  instruction  or  adventure  to  the 
wilder  sports  of  country  boys.  Yet  his 
father's  means  were  limited,  and  the  boy 
could  not  indulge  his  studious  habits  to  any 
great  extent.  At  the  early  age  of  fourteen 
he  commenced  for  himself  the  battle  of  life. 
While  yet  a  mere  boy  he  began  to  sail  on 
the  lakes,  and  as  early  as  1847  touched 
Green  Bay,  Wis.,  and  visited  other  ports  in 
that  State.  For  six  j'ears  he  was  on  the 
lakes.  A  desire  to  see  more  of  the  world, 
and  perhaps,  too,  the  greater  opportunities 
open  to  an  ocean  sailor  induced  him,  in  1849, 
at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  to  take  a  trip 
from  Racine,  W'is. ,  to  New  Orleans.  There 
he  shipped  for  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 
Boston,  making  one  trip  from  New  York  to 
Philadelphia  as  mate.  The  California  gold 
fever  was  then  raging  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  in  1849  he  went  round  the 
"Horn"  on  the  schooner  "  Kate.  "  The 
vessel  put  in  at  Valparaiso  to  refit,  and  Mr. 
Pope,  leaving  her,  reshipped  on  a  Spanish 
bark  which  reached  San  Francisco  on  the 
Sunday  morning  of  the  great  fire  which  de- 
stroyed that  city.  Remaining  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  about  a  month,  he  spent  eighteen 
months  in  the  gold-mining  country,  and  then 
returned  to  New  York  via  the  Isthmus; 
reaching  his  father's  home  in  Erie  county, 
Penn.,  a  few  days  later,  he  was  seized  with 
a  fever  which  disabled  him  for  two  years. 
The  young  man  had  seen  the  world,  and 
was  ready  to  settle  down.  In  the  spring  of 
1853  he  started  with  his  brother  Alvin  for 
Wisconsin,  the  brothers  reaching  Sheboygan 
by  boat,  thence  proceeding  across  the  county 


to  Oshkosh  embarked  on  the  steamboat  for 
Gill's  Landing,  and  made  their  way  through 
the  wilderness  to  Lind  township,  Waupaca 
county,  were  Nathaniel  and  his  brother 
Alvin  purchased  160  acres  of  land  in  Sec- 
tion 16.  A  few  weeks  later  the  parents 
joined  him,  and  made  their  home  thereafter 
with  hini  until  their  death,  which  occurred 
many  years  later. 

In  1855  Mr.  Pope  was  married  in  Wau- 
paca county  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Loomis,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1S38,  daughter 
of  Lyman  Loomis.  Their  children  were  as 
follows:  Ella,  now  Mrs.  Leroy  Jones,  of 
Lind  township;  Pliny,  also  of  Lind  town- 
ship; Charles  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years;  Rush  L.,  of  Lind  town; 
Alice,  who  died  aged  three  years;  Ola,  now 
Mrs.  Henry  West,  of  Lind  township;  Gale, 
Guy,  x-Mbert,  Bertha,  Lyle,  all  of  Lind  town- 
ship, and  Ethel,  who  was  drowned  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years.  Mrs.  Pope,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  died  July 
21,  1886. 

Mr.  Pope  has  prospered  greatly  during 
his  residence  of  more  than  forty  years  in 
Lind  township.  It  was  here  that  he  did 
his  first  farming  for  himself,  and  here  that 
he  drove  his  first  ox-team.  In  addition  to 
general  farming  he  began  to  deal  in  stock 
soon  after  his  arrival,  and  for  forty  years  he 
has  bought  and  sold  cattle.  A  better  judge 
of  cattle  it  would  be  difficult  to  find,  and  it 
has  been  his  keen  perception  of  the  value  of 
stock,  together  with  his  business  ability, 
that  has  made  him  so  successful  as  a  dealer. 
He  now  owns  about  360  acres  of  land. 
Politically  Mr.  Pope  is  a  Democrat  in  prin- 
ciple, and  he  supports  the  party  when  its 
principles  are  nhaintained.  He  has  filled 
many  local  offices,  including  those  of  super- 
visor, clerk,  treasurer,  pathmaster  and 
school  director.  He  is  a  self-made  man, 
for  his  capital  in  early  life  was  only  his 
courage  and  ambition.  He  gave  himself  a 
thorough  practical  education,  and  has  al- 
ways been  a  hard  worker.  In  his  youth  he 
was  as  poor  as  a  young  man  could  well  be, 
yet  he  not  only  has  amassed  a  competence, 
but  to  his  parents  he  gave  aid  and  comfort 
throughout  their  lives.  When  young  he 
spent  money  freely,    but  he   afterward  ac- 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


quired  a  practical  knowledge  of  its  value. 
His  first  suit  of  clothes,  after  the  homespun 
with  which  in  his  boyhood  he  was  attired, 
he  earned  as  a  sailor.  He  had  taken  ad- 
vantage of  his  father's  trade  when  a  boy,  and 
could  at  one  time  make  an  excellent  pair  of 
boots  or  shoes.  Gifted  with  mechanical  ap- 
titude and  powers  of  observation,  Mr.  Pope 
was  equipped  by  nature  to  make  a  success 
in  life.  Casting  his  lot  among  the  pioneers 
of  northern  \\'isconsin,  he  has  rightfully 
risen  to  the  commanding  esteem  and  respect 
in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow  men. 


ALBERT  A.  DENTON.  This  gen- 
tleman, who  is  well  known  as  a 
prominent  and  enterprising  citizen 
of  Eagle  River,  Vilas  county,  was 
born  in  Kent  county,  Mich.,  near  Grand 
Rapids,  June  i8,  1847.  His  grandfather 
Denton  was  a  British  soldier  during  the 
Revolutionary  struggle,  and  at  one  of  the 
battles  received  a  bullet  in  his  leg,  which 
memento  of  the  war  he  carried  to  his  grave. 
John  W.  Denton,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  English  ances- 
try, and  had  four  brothers — Samuel,  George, 
William  and  Daniel — and  three  sisters — 
Mary  Ann,  Caroline  and  Joanna.  He  married 
Minerva  Bartholomew,  by  whom  he  had  si.\ 
children:  Mary  J.,  L.  Bradley,  Albert  A., 
Charles  F.,  Ella  M.  and  John^W.,  Jr.  In 
1839  he  moved  to  Michigan,  for  a  time  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Kent  county,  near  Grand 
Rapids,  whence,  in  1850,  he  moved  to  Mill 
Point,  Ottawa  county,  same  State.  In  1852 
he  built  a  large  store  and  hotel  at  Eastman- 
ville,  also  in  Ottawa  county,  Mich.,  known 
as  the  "  Denton  House,  "  which  in  1861  he 
sold,  and  then  removed  to  Grand  Rapids, 
purchasing  an  elegant  dwelling  there;  but 
in  1862  he  moved  to  a  farm  south  of  Lowell, 
Kent  county,  which  and  his  city  property, 
however,  he  soon  afterward  traded  for  a  fine 
farm  in  Kecne  township,  Ionia  county,  also 
in  Michigan.  In  the  fall  of  186S  he  and  his 
two  sons  took  a  canoe  trip  up  the  Muskegon 
river  to  Houghton  Lake,  a  distance  of  some 
two  hundred  miles,  hunting,  fishing  and 
looking  up  pine  lands,  after  which  he  made 
annual  trips  to  the  same  locality,  ultimately 


locating  a  homestead  at  Houghton  Lake, 
renting  his  Keene  township  (Ionia  county) 
farm  and  moving  his  family  to  his  new  prop- 
erty. In  the  fall  of  1877  he  returned  to  the 
farm,  and  passed  the  rest  of  his  days  there- 
on; he  died  in  1885,  while  on  a  visit  to  his 
son  Albert;  his  widow  is  still  living.  He 
built  the  first  logging  railroad  in  Michigan, 
which  was  known  as  the  "  Barbers  rail- 
road. "  In  his  political  leanings  he  was  a 
strong  Democrat,  but  never  aspired  to  office, 
and  he  had  the  reputation  of  a  worth}-,  hon- 
orable citizen,    kind-hearted  and  charitable. 

Albert  A.  Denton,  the  subject  proper  of 
these  lines,  was  educated  at  the  common 
schools  of  the  locality  of  his  boyhood  home, 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
his  marriage.  In  1870  he  went  to  Hough- 
ton Lake,  and  for  ten  years  was  there  en- 
gaged in  lumbering,  taking  a  homestead.  In 
1880  he  sold  out  and  bought  property  at 
East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  whither  he  removed 
his  famil)',  and  then  took  a  trip  to  Central 
America  for  the  purpose  of  looking  up  valu- 
able timber,  coming  direct  from  there  to 
Eagle  River,  Wis. ;  but  this  was  not  his  first 
visit  to  Wisconsin,  as  he  had  already,  some 
years  before,  traveled  considerably  through- 
out the  State.  Here  his  family  rejoined  him, 
and  in  April,  1884,  he  bought  property,  built 
the  "  Denton  House,"  which  he  conducted 
six  years,  or  till  July,  1890,  when  he  sold  it. 
Mr.  Denton  then  went  on  an  exploring  ex- 
pedition to  northern  Minnesota,  passing 
three  years  there,  having  located  govern- 
ment land,  and  then  returned  to  Eagle 
River,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home, 
his  chief  occupation  being  that  of  land 
broker  and  timber  estimator. 

In  1868  our  subject  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Elizabeth  Hart,  who  was 
born  in  1848,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Nancy 
(Shermanj  Hart,  natives  of  Herkimer 
county,  N.  Y. ,  where  they  were  married,  and 
whence  they  came  to  Michigan  about  the 
year  1845,  settling  in  Keene  township,  Ionia 
county,  where  their  daughter  Elizabeth  was 
born.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, their  names  being:  Henrietta,  Mary, 
Phebe,  Elizabeth,  George,  Franklin,  May- 
land  and  Milo.  The  father  of  these  died  in 
1888;   he  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


153 


served  his  county  as  treasurer,  also  holding 
many  minor  offices.  The  mother  is  yet  liv- 
ing. The  family  are  descendants  of  German 
immigrants  who  settled  in  the  Mohawk  Val- 
ley many  years  ago.  To  ^fr.  and  Mrs.  Den- 
ton has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Louis, 
at  present  attending  school  at  \'alparaiso, 
Ind.  In  politics  our  subject  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  been  chairman  of  the  town;  was  as- 
sessor and  also  postmaster  under  the  Dem- 
ocrat administration;  while  a  resident  of 
Michigan  he  served  as  postmaster,  was 
county  treasurer,  also  sheriff,  and  held  var- 
ious other  offices;  he  assisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  Roscommon  county,  Mich. ;  was  also 
a  member  of  the  county  board  at  the  time 
of  the  setting  off  of  Oneida  county.  Wis. 
He  is  and  has  been  all  his  life  a  typical 
frontiersman,  and  is  recognized  as  a  useful 
citizen  and  member  of  the  community. 


FIvED   M.    MASON,    county   superin- 
tendent   of  schools,  Oneida  county, 
with   residence   at  Rhinelander,  was 
born  at  Charleston,    S.   C,   June   3, 
1S42,    a  grandson  of  James  Mason,  a  native 
of    England,  whence,  when  a  boy,  he  came 
to  Virginia  with  his  parents. 

Morgan  Afason,  father  of  the  subject  of 
these  lines,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  Febru- 
ary, 1799,  at  the  proper  age  entered  college, 
and  was  a  graduate  of  Yale,  and  of  Harvard 
Law  School.  In  the  State  of  New  York  he 
married  Anna  Morgan,  daughter  of  General 
Morgan  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  and 
soon  after  marriage  they  settled  in  Charles- 
ton, S.  C,  where,  with  the  exception  of 
the  four  years  during  the  Civil  war  they 
lived  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  father  passed 
the  rest  of  his  days;  the  mother  died  in 
June,  1842.  They  had  a  family  of  children 
as  follows:  Edward  B.,  Edith  A.,  John  Y. , 
Edwin,  Ada,  Anna,  and  Fred  M.  For  his 
second  wife  Morgan  Mason  married  Mrs. 
Catherine  Potts,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren: Adeline  and  Ida.  The  father  de- 
parted this  life  in  1893,  a  strong  loyal 
Southern  man  to  his  last  hour.  He  was  a 
large  planter,  owning  considerable  land,  and 
was  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  the 
State,  recognized  as  an  able  jurist;  during 


the  Mexican  war,  he  was  colonel  of  the 
Second  South  Carolina  Infantry,  serving  in 
that  memorable  struggle  with  distinction. 

Our  subject,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  received  his  earlier  education  at  the 
State  Military  Academy,  Columbia,  S.  C. , 
and  for  three  years  was  a  cadet  at  West 
Point,  but  did  not  complete  his  course.  In 
April,  1 86 1,  he  was  detailed  into  the  army 
as  instructor  of  military  tactics,  and  as- 
signed to  duty  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  July, 
same  j'ear,  he  reported  to  Gen.  McClellan, 
who  at  the  time  was  in  West  Virginia,  and 
had  just  assumed  command  of  the  armj', 
from  which  time  Mr.  Mason  served  under 
Gen.  Rosecrans.  That  same  year  he  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Confederates,  and  for 
about  eight  months  was  confined  in  prison, 
chiefly  at  Salisbury,  N.  C,  and  in  Libby. 
Being  exchanged,  he  was  assigned  to  duty 
in  the  U.  S.  Signal  Corps,  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  with  that  branch  of  the  serv- 
ice he  remained  until  Lee's  surrender.  On 
June  17,  1S64,  he  was  promoted  on  the 
field  in  front  of  Petersburg,  to  first  lieuten- 
ant, by  Gen.  Grant,  for  bravery  displayed 
in  securing  and  conveying  information  to 
Burnside's  line  in  that  day's  fighting.  He 
remained  in  the  regular  army  until  Decem- 
ber 16,  1868,  when  he  resigned  on  account 
of  impaired  health,  the  latter  part  of  his 
soldier  life  being  passed  in  the  Topographi- 
cal Department  of  the  army.  After  resign- 
ing he  went  to  Bay  City,  Mich.,  and  for 
four  years  was  manager  of  A.  Ballon  & 
Co.  's  general  store,  after  which  he  was,  in 
1 87 1,  elected  CQunty  superintendent  of  Bay 
county,  which  incumbency  he  filled  four 
years.  In  1876  he  went  to  Reed  City, 
Mich.,  where  for  one  year  he  filled  the  office 
of  county  superintendent  of  schools,  and 
three  years  that  of  deputy  United  States 
timber  agent.  In  1890  he  came  to  Rhine- 
lander,  where  he  took  up  the  business  of 
contractor  and  builder,  and  in  1894  he  was 
elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Oneida  county. 

On  October  13,  1870,  Mr.  Mason  was 
married  at  Bay  City,  Mich.,  to  Miss  Rhoda 
Ammerman,  who  was  born  January  3,  1842, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Drake)  Ammer- 
man, all  natives  of  New  Jersey.   The  mother 


'54 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


was  a  direct  descendant  of  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  admiral  of  the  British  navy  during 
the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Mason  came  to  Michigan  from  New 
Jersey,  and  both  died  there,  the  mother  in 
1 89 1,  the  father  in  1893.  To  our  subject 
and  wife  were  born  five  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living:  Maude,  Eva  and  Theresa. 
Politically,  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican, 
socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M. , 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  G.  A.  R. 


JA^fES  E.  LYTLE.  This  well-known 
and  most  highly  esteemed  resident  of 
Stevens  Point,  who  is  probably  the 
oldest  living  pioneer  settler  in  Portage 
county,  was  born  in  Richmond,  \'a..  May 
17,  1816.  James  Lytle,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  a  Southerner  by  birth,  followed 
the  trade  of  ship  carpenter.  He  married 
Miss  Hannah  Stent,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, a  daughter  of  an  English  sea  captain 
who  owned  vessels;  but  losing  her  parents 
when  young  she  was  adopted  by  a  wealth}' 
Virginia  family.  James  Lytle  was  accident- 
ally drowned  through  the  capsizing  of  a  boat 
in  a  wind  squall,  within  sight  of  his  home, 
and  while  returning  to  Richmond  after  a 
year's  absence. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  James  E. 
Lytle,  then  a  six-year-old  lad,  removed  with 
his  mother  to  Franklin  county,  N.  Y. ,  where 
he  was  reared  to  manhood,  receiving  a 
limited  education  in  the  district  schools,  af- 
terward following  the  occupation  of  teamster 
and  stage  dri\er  until  he  was  about  twenty- 
five  years  old,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Hopkinton  township,  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N. 
Y. ,  where  he  continued  farming  until  April, 
1846,  the  date  of  his  coming  to  Wisconsin, 
and  locating  in  Pederville  (now  called  Wau- 
kesha). At  the  end  of  three  years  he  removed 
to  Plover,  Portage  count}",  being  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  place,  and  here  en- 
gaged in  the  trades  of  mason  and  plasterer 
for  about  three  years,  after  which  he  again 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  up  to  the  year 
1870,  when,  his  health  failing,  he  rented  his 
farm  and  took  up  the  subscription-book  bus- 
iness as  agent  for  a  Chicago  publishing 
house,  in  which  line  he  continued  till  1889, 


when  he  returned  to  Stevens  Point,  and 
retired  from  active  business  life. 

In  1840,  at  Fort  Covington,  N.  Y.,  Mr. 
Lytle  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Maria 
Diamond,  daughter  of  Enos  and  Miranda 
(Richmond;  Diamond,  and  nine  children 
were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  survive, 
as  follows:  George  Hamlin,  residing  in 
Rome,  Ga. ,  married  to  Miss  Alice  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  Smith  1  they 
had  a  family  of  four  children,  two  of 
whom  survive:  Frankie  May,  wife  of  John 
Ferguson,  residing  in  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and 
James,  at  home);  Alfred,  city  engineer  of 
Merrill,  Lincoln  Co. ,  Wis.,  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Nutting  (they  had  four  children, 
two  yet  living:  Arthur  E.  and  Bertie  A.); 
William,  residing  in  Stevens  Point,  Wis., 
married  June  19,  1878,  to  Miss  Jennie 
Pierce,  a  daughter  of  Ira  and  Rosetta 
(Whitne\)  Pierce,  natives  of  Penobscot, 
Maine  (they  had  six  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living:  Maudlin.  Earl  D.,  Blanch  E., 
and  Chester  E.  j;John  D.,  residing  in  At- 
lanta, Ga. ,  married  to  Miss  Nellie  Smith 
(now  deceased)  ihas  one  living  child  named 
Elsie  Lyliani. 

The  mother  of  the  above  named  family, 
who  was  born  in  Magog,  Canada,  passed 
peacefully  from  earth,  December  3,  1 893, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  twenty-five 
days.  She  was  an  exemplary  Christian  wo- 
man, a  devoted  mother  and  faithful  wife, 
for  fifty-four  years  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  as  has  also  been  her 
husband.  At  her  demise  the  following  lines 
were  contributed  by  a  friend: 

Religion  filled  her  soul  with  peace. 

Upon  a  dying'  bed: 
Let  faith  look  up,  let  sorrow  cease. 

She  lives  with  Christ  o'erhead. 

Yes.  faith  beholds  her  where  she  sits 

With  Jesus  clothed  in  white. 
Our  loss  is  her  eternal  gain; 

She  dwells  in  cloudless  light. 

Politically,  Mr.  Lytle  was  originally  a 
Whig,  and  since  the  organization  of  the 
party  has  been  a  stanch  Republican,  though 
not  an  active  one  during  the  past  six  years. 
He  has  served  faithfully  as  treasurer  of 
Stockton  township.  Portage  county,  and 
also   as  assessor  for  six  consecutive  years, 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


155 


and  he  is  known  by  his  neighbors  as  a  friend 
in  time  of  need,  a  counselor  in  trouble,  and 
a  genial  companion  at  all  times. 


JENS  HANSEN,  an  e.\tensi\e  wagon 
and  carriage  manufacturer  of  Wau- 
paca, was  born  in  Boesholm,  near 
Helsingor,  Nort  Sjeland,  Denmark,  in 
July,  1838,  son  of  H.  C.  Rasmusson,  a 
blacksmith,  who  made  the  best  wagons  and 
carriages  in  all  that  region.  The  father 
married  Meta  Marie  Larson  Monk,  and  to 
them  were  born  the  following  children: 
Peter  (deceased),  Jens,  Bertha  L. ,  Anna  C. 
and  Marie  (deceased),  Petronelle,  Rasmina, 
Bentine  and  Peter,  besides  two  children 
who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  died  in 
1857,  and  the  father  subsequently  married 
Marion  Anderson,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children:  Andrew  M.,  and  one  who  died 
in  Denmark. 

Our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  black- 
smith and  carriage-maker  from  his  father, 
and  received  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion, attending  the  schools  from  the  age  of 
seven  to  fourteen  years.  In  1864  he  enlist- 
ed in  the  artillery  service  of  his  country, 
serving  fourteen  months  in  the  war  between 
Denmark  and  Germany,  and  retiring  with 
the  rank  of  corporal.  Returning  home,  he 
assisted  in  his  father's  shop  until  1869, 
when  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 
Waupaca  was  his  destination,  and  there  he 
found  work  with  H.  D.  Prior,  but  before 
the  close  of  the  year  he  had  purchased  the 
business  for  himself.  In  1870  Mr.  Hansen 
returned  to  Denmark,  and  brought  back 
with  him  his  father,  who  until  his  death  in 
1879  worked  in  the  son's  shop.  Each  year 
Mr.  Hansen's  business  has  increased.  His 
motto — "  Live  and  let  live" — is  prominent- 
ly displayed  on  the  shop,  and  the  principle 
is  religiously  observed  in  a  business  way. 
Mr.  Hansen  employs  about  twelve  men,  and 
manufactures  wagons,  carriages  and  sleighs, 
besides  doing  a  general  blacksmith  business 
and  handling  farm  machinery  of  all  kinds. 
In  1S90  he  built  the  handsome  and  substan- 
tial shop  which  he  now  occupies;  he  has 
also  made  some  extensive  investments  in 
city  real  estate. 


Mr.  Hansen  was  married  on  Christmas 
Day,  1869,  to  Miss  Johanna  M.  Person,  a 
native  of  Sweden.  Her  father  died  in  that 
country  and  the  widow  with  her  children — 
two  sons  (both  now  deceased)  and  two 
daughters  (both  yet  living) — came  to  Ameri- 
ca. Politically  Mr.  Hansen  is  a  Republi- 
can. Though  frequently  urged  to  permit 
the  use  of  his  name  for  office  he  has  invaria- 
bly refused.  His  religious  affiliations  are 
with  the  Danish  Lutheran  Church,  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Home  Society. 
Mr.  Hansen  is  a  thorough  business  man, 
and  one  of  the  substantial  and  influential 
citizens  of  Waupaca  county. 


GHARLES  GIBSON  (deceased)  was 
for  many  years  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Lind,  Waupaca  county. 
He  was  not  content  in  business  mat- 
ters to  follow  beaten  paths,  but  branched 
out  into  original  and  successful  enterprises. 
He  was  energetic  in  his  methods,  but  his  ac- 
tions were  controlled  by  conscience.  In- 
tegrity and  regard  for  others  marked  every 
deed,  and  his  active  sympathies  and  weighty 
influence  were  enlisted  in  whatever  good 
causes  for  the  public  welfare  became  the 
questions  or  issues  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Gibson  was  born  in  St.  Armand, 
Canada,  April  3,  1833,  son  of  Royal  and 
Harriet  (Thorn)  Gibson.  He  was  reared  a 
farmer  boy,  attending  the  common  schools 
of  his  home  district.  In  1853  he  came  to 
Wisconsin,  when  a  youth  of  twenty  years, 
and  settled  in  Lind,  Waupaca  county,  fol- 
lowing his  brother,  Hollis,  who  had  migrat- 
ed to  the  new  country  the  year  previous. 
He  was  married,  at  Weyauwega,  Alarch  27, 
1875,  to  Miss  Fannie  L.  Rice,  who  was  born 
in  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  January  10, 
1S47,  daughter  of  Alvaris  and  Sarah  A. 
(Darron)  Rice,  who  migrated  to  Wisconsin 
soon  after,  when  it  was  yet  a  Territory,  liv- 
ing for  several  years  in  Racine  county,  and 
in  I851  removing  to  Waupaca  county,  set- 
tling in  Lind,  there  becoming  prominent 
pioneers.  Here  on  the  frontier  of  civiliza- 
tion Mrs.  Gibson  was  reared.  The  children 
of  Mr.    and   Mrs.  Gibson  are  Ira   R. ,   born 


156 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


January  i8,   1876;    Paul    R. ,  born   April  24, 
1878,  and  Brena  C,  born  July  18,   1881. 

Mr.  Gibson  died  at  his  home  December 
4,  1889,  and  is  buried  in  Lind  Cemetery. 
During  earlier  life  he  was  a  Republican,  but 
later  became,  by  conviction  and  principle,  a 
stanch  Prohibitionist.  He  was  a  leading 
member  of  the  Wesle3'an  Church.  Perhaps 
none  were  more  active  and  zealous  in  relig- 
ious devotion  than  he.  A  liberal  contributor 
and  an  officer  of  the  Church,  he  was  one  of 
its  stanchest  supporters.  During  the  civil 
conflict  Mr.  Gibson  took  up  arms  in  defense 
of  the  Nation's  perpetuity,  and  served  cred- 
itably and  honorably  from  the  time  he  en- 
listed to  the  close  of  the  war.  In  civic  life  he 
served  his  fellow  men  iu  various  local  offices. 
Mr.  Gibson  was  distinctively  a  self-made 
man.  For  many  years  he  owned  and 
operated  a  threshing  machine  throughout 
the  county,  making  solid  friends  of  whomso- 
ever he  met  in  a  business  relationship.  He 
built  and  operated  the  pioneer  cheese  fac- 
tory of  his  section,  and  the  superiority  of 
the  product  was  known  far  and  wide.  It 
took  the  sweepstakes  premium  at  the  Wis- 
consin State  Fair,  also  in  Iowa  and  other 
fairs.  The  factor}'  which  he  built  is  still  in 
operation.  Though  generous  in  donations 
for  religious  and  other  deserving  causes, 
Mr.  Gibson  was  a  thorough  business  man, 
and  he  left  his  family  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances. Since  his  death  his  widow  has  had 
charge  of  the  business  which  he  left,  and  has 
displayed  rare  judgment  and  ability  in  her 
management.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Church,  and  is  most  highlj-  esteemed 
and  respected  by  her  hosts  of  friends. 


WH.  ELSBURY,  one  of  the  brave 
defenders  of  the  Union  who  served 
nearly  all  through  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  is  a  farmer  by  vocation 
and  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  his  section 
of  Larrabee  township,  Waupaca  county, 
He  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y. , 
in  1840,  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Kief) 
Elsbury,  natives  of  England,  who  came  to 
Es.se.\  county,  N.  Y.,  in  an  early  day. 

James  Elsbury   was  a  farmer,  and    after 
settling  in   Essex  made    that    for  the  most 


part  his  home;  his  death  occurred  in  1854, 
and  that  of  his  widow  in  1881,  in  Essex 
count}',  N.  Y.  They  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  James,  residing  in 
Essex  county,  N.  Y. ;  Martha,  widow  of 
Amos  Boardman,  of  Essex  county,  N.  Y. ; 
Thomas,  residing  in  Essex  county,  N.  Y. ; 
John,  who  enlisted  for  three  years  in  the 
Eighty-fourth  X.  Y.  V.  I.,  and  was  killed 
June  20,  I  864,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  \'a. ; 
W.  H.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Mary 
Ann,  wife  of  Peter  Long,  of  Buckbee,  Lar- 
rabee township,   Waupaca  Co.,    Wisconsin. 

W.  H.  Elsbury  was  reared  in  Essex 
county,  N.  Y. ,  to  farm  life,  and  educated  in 
the  schools  of  that  county.  In  November, 
1 86 1,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Ninety- 
sixth  N.  Y.  V.  I.,  for  three  years  or  during 
the  war,  and  was  mustered  into  service  at 
Plattsburg,  N.  Y.  He  was  first  in  the 
Seventh  Army  Corps,  and  was  in  the  Pen- 
insular Campaign.  At  Williamsburg,  in 
1863,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Eighteenth 
Army  Corps,  and  was  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C, 
Newbern,  and  Suffolk,  N.  C.  In  1864  he 
again  enlisted,  in  the  same  company  and 
regiment,  for  three  years  or  doing  the  war, 
and  went  to  City  Point,  Va.,  Drury's  Bluff, 
Fredericksburg,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg, 
and  thence  in  front  of  Richmond,  \'a. ,  and 
was  stationed  there  and  at  Fredericksburg. 
He  was  honorably  discharged  at  City  Point, 
\'a. ,  February  6,  1 866,  and  mustered  out 
as  corporal.  He  then  returned  to  Essex 
county,  N.  Y.,  remained  till  July,  1866, 
then  came  to  Oshkosh,  Winnebago  Co., 
Wis.,  and  worked  at  day's  labor  until,  in 
1869,  he  came  to  Clintonville,  Larrabee 
township,  Waupaca  county,  then  a  small 
place,  and  remained  there  two  years.  At  that 
time  there  were  in  Clintonville  and  in  all 
Larrabee  township  only  forty-two  voters. 

At  Clintonville,  Waupaca  Co.,  Wis.,  in 
1869,  W.  H.  Elsbury  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Catharine  Quinn,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Michael,  Mary  Ann  (wife  of  Louis 
Bohanan,  of  Keshena,  Shawano  Co.,  Wis)., 
William,  Frederick,  Maggie,  John  and 
Martha.  Mrs.  ^^'.  H.  Elsbury  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Michael  and  Margaret  (McGrath) 
Ouinn,  natives  of  Ireland  now  deceased.    Mr. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPHIOAL   RECORD. 


157 


Elsbury  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  in  the 
woods  with  no  clearing,  in  Section  2 1 ,  Lar- 
rabee  township,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
here  located  in  1871.  At  that  time  there 
was  only  one  other  family  in  this  section, 
and  he  cut  a  road  through  the  forest  to  get 
to  his  farm.  This  property  he  has  since 
improved,  and  he  now  has  fifty  acres  cleared. 
In  1 888  he  erected  here  a  story-and-a-half 
frame  house,  18  x  26  feet  in  the  main  part, 
and  with  an  L  16  x  24  feet.  As  a  pioneer 
of  this  section  of  Waupaca  county  he  has 
seen  much  of  its  development  from  its  prim- 
itive condition.  In  political  belief  Mr. 
Elsbury  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  partj-.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 
chairman  of  the  township  for  one  term. 


WILLIAM  H.  McINTYRE  is  one  of 
Portage  count3''s  native  sons.  He 
was  born  in  Belmont  township, 
September  16,  1861,  and  comes  of 
one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families  of  Wis- 
consin. His  father,  William  Mclntyre, 
was  born  in  New  York  about  1829,  and  in 
an  early  daj-  came  with  his  parents  to  the 
Badger  State,  the  family  locating  in  Milford 
township,  Jefferson  county.  His  school 
privileges  were  those  afforded  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  he  was  reared  upon  the  home 
farm,  the  days  of  his  youth  being  quietly 
passed.  In  the  family  were  five  children, 
Abraham,  William,  Henry,  Eliza  and 
Amanda,  and  they  shared  in  the  experiences 
and  hardships  peculiar  to  life  on  the  frontier. 
In  Belmont  township.  Portage  county, 
in  December,  i860,  at  the  home  of  the 
bride,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Will- 
iam Mclntyre,  Sr. ,  and  Clara  Turner,  who 
had  removed  with  her  family  from  Jefferson 
count)'.  The  young  couple  began  house- 
keeping in  Milford  township,  Jefferson 
county,  upon  a  farm  owned  by  the  husband, 
but  after  a  time  took  up  their  residence  in 
Belmont  township,  where  October  2,  1861, 
Mr.  Mclntyre  joined  the  Third  Wisconsin 
Light  Artillery  and  went  to  the  war.  On 
December  i,  following,  he  returned  to  Jef- 
ferson county,  where  his  wife  had  passed 
the  time    of  his  absence    with  his   parents. 


Two  weeks  later  he  was  taken  with  measles 
and  after  a  five-days'  illness  passed  away, 
Januarys,  1862,  his  remains  being  interred 
in  Milford  township.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  he  was  a  highly  respected 
citizen.  After  his  death,  Mrs.  Mclntyre 
went  to  her  father's  home,  and  afterward 
married  John  M.  Collier. 

William  H.  Mclntyre,  who  is  the  only 
child,  acquired  his  elementary  education  in 
the  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  which 
was  supplemented  with  a  short  attendance 
at  the  State  Normal  School,  where  he  pre- 
pared himself  for  teaching,  a  profession  he 
followed  in  District  No.  5,  Belmont  town- 
ship. He  lived  with  his  mother  for  some 
time  after  her  second  marriage,  or  until  his 
own  marriage,  which  was  celebrated  in 
Waupaca,  Wis.,  April  12,  1888,  the  lady 
of  his  choice  being  Miss  Anna  Wagner,  who 
was  born  in  Almond  township,  Portage 
county,  June  20,  1863,  a  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Rice;  Wagner,  the 
former  a  native  of  France,  the  latter  of 
Illinois.  Mrs.  Mclntyre  obtained  her  ed- 
ucation in  the  Oshkosh  Normal  School,  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  began  teaching, 
which  profession  she  successfully  followed 
eleven  terms.  By  her  marriage  she  has  be- 
come the  mother  of  an  interesting  little  son, 
Milan  H.,  born  June  21,  1890. 

Upon  his  marriage,  Mr.  Mclntyre 
rented  the  farm  which  is  now  his  home,  and 
in  1891  he  became  its  owner,  the  tract  com- 
prising 150  acres  in  Section  17,  Belmont, 
one-half  of  which  has  been  placed  under  the 
plow  and  yields  to  him  a  good  income  in  re- 
turn for  the  care  and  labor  he  bestows  upon 
it.  He  is  recognized  as  a  prosperous  young 
farmer  of  good  business  and  executive  abil- 
ity, who  through  his  own  efforts  has  become 
well-to-do,  and  is  an  intelligent  young  man, 
highly  esteemed  b\-  all  who  know  him.  By 
his  ballot  he  supports  the  Republican 
party. 


JOSEPH  GLINSKI,    one    of    the    most 
enterprising   and    successful    tailors  of 
Stevens    Point,    Portage    count}-,    is    a 
native  of   Poland,  born  September  17, 
1858,    in    Valental,  County  of  Starogart,  a 


i^S 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


son  of  Joseph  and  Josephine  (Pawlowski) 
Ghnski,  who  were  born  in  same  country.  The 
father  was  a  stock  buyer,  becoming  a  very 
successful  man.  At  his  death,  which  occur- 
red in  1 868,  he  left  five  children,  all  of  whom 
are  still  living,  to  wit:  Frank,  a  saloon 
keeper  at  Stevens  Point;  Joseph,  subject  of 
sketch:  Jacob,  a  tailor  of  Stevens  Point, 
now  in  the  employ  of  his  brother,  Joseph; 
Effie,  wife  of  Joseph  Jekobouski,  who  is  also 
employed  b\'  our  subject;  and  Mary,  wife  of 
E.  L.  Blodgett,  a  merchant  of  Stevens  Point. 

Mr.  Glinski,  whose  name  appears  at  the 
beginning  of  this  record,  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Germany, 
and  then  at  the  age  of  sixteen  commenced 
to  learn  his  trade.  In  1872  the  family 
started  for  America,  embarking  on  the  sail- 
ing vessel,  "  Agda,"  and  after  a  long  and 
stormy  voyage  of  eleven  weeks  and  three  days 
they  landed  at  Quebec,  Canada.  They  did 
not  remain  long  in  that  city,  however,  but 
came  direct  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  the}' 
made  their  home  some  eight  months.  On 
leaving  the  latter  city  the  family  removed  to 
Stevens  Point,  where  Mr.  Lubinski  purchased 
160  acres  of  wild  timber  land,  and  our  subject 
aided  in  clearing  and  developing  the  same. 
The  farm  was  sold,  however,  at  the  end  of 
a  3-ear  and  a  half,  and  the  family  then  re- 
moved to  Stevens  Point,  where  the  step- 
father began  working  at  the  tailor's  trade, 
which  he  still  continues.  The  mother's  death 
occurred  in  the  fall  of  1891,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years.  Mr.  Glinski  was  em- 
ployed b}'  others  until  1881,  when  he  began 
business  for  himself.  In  1891  he  purchased 
a  lot  and  erected  a  two-story  brick  building 
82x25  feet,  in  which  he  now  carries  on 
business  and  has  an  excellent  trade.  By- 
good  management  he  has  gained  a  liberal 
patronage,  and  now  has  in  his  employ  fifteen 
men.  He  has  one  of  the  leading  tailoring 
establishments  of  the  city. 

In  1879  Mr.  Glinski  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Paulina  M.  Boyar,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Marthina  Boyar,  and  one 
of  a  family  of  children,  as  follows:  Paul- 
ina M.,  Leo,  John,  Jr.,  Frank,  Ragan, 
Joseph,  Mary,  Anna,  August  and  Adam 
(twins),  Catherine,  Alexander,  Anthony, 
Bernard,  all  of  whom  are  living  with  the  ex- 


ception of  Anthonj-.  The  parents  of  this 
family  were  both  born  in  Poland,  in  which 
country  the  father  was  engaged  as  a  brewer, 
and  also  followed  the  same  business  after 
coming  to  America;  but  he  and  his  wife  are 
now  living  retired  at  Stevens  Point.  The 
family  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1863.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glinski  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  Mary,  Joseph,  Jr.,  John, 
De  Loss,  Varona,  Ganewefa  and  Chesle}-, 
all  of  whom  are  still  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Glinski  has  held  a  number  of  offices 
of  honor  and  trust  in  Stevens  Point,  includ- 
ing that  of  alderman,  which  he  filled  for  five 
years — from  1888  to  1893.  He  has  always 
been  faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him 
whether  public  or  private,  and  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  and  confidence.  With  St. 
Peter's  Catholic  Church  he  holds  member- 
ship, and  has  served  as  secretary  of  the 
same,  while  socially  he  belongs  to  the  Cath- 
olic Knights  of  Wisconsin,  Catholic  Forest- 
ers of  Wisconsin,  St.  Peter's  Society,  and 
the  Sacred  Heart  Society. 


EMIL    RUDER    (deceased),    who  for 
some   twelve    years    conducted    the 
well-known  brewery  owned  by   him 
at  Merrill,  Lincoln  county,  was  born 
November  29,  1859,  at  Stevens  Point,  Wis., 
a    son    of    George    and     Louisa     (Schmidt) 
Ruder. 

George  Ruder  was  born  September  7, 
1827,  in  Nuremberg,  Bavaria,  and  was  a 
son  of  Wolfe  and  Katrina  Ruder.  The 
family  are  of  German  ancestry,  and  Wolfe 
Ruder,  as  was  his  father  before  him,  was 
born  in  Germany.  George  Ruder  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land,  and  in  early  life 
learned  the  trade  of  brewer  in  his  father's 
brewery,  afterward  worked  at  his  trade  in 
some  of  the  large  cities  of  Europe,  and 
traveled  extensively  through  Germany.  In 
1S54  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating 
first  in  Milwaukee,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  upward  of  two  years,  and  then,  in 
1856,  he  removed  to  Stevens  Point,  Portage 
county,  purchased  a  brewery  there,  and  con- 
ducted it  some  four  years.  At  Stevens  Point 
he  married  Miss  Louisa  Schmidt,  who  was 
born  in   the   Province  of  Posen,  Germany, 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


159' 


April  25,  1835,  and  children  as  follows  were 
born  to  them:  Louis,  Emil,  Herman, 
Louisa,  Clara,  Emma  (wife  of  Henry  Mom- 
bart,  residing  in  Wausau),  Edward  (in  Mer- 
rill, Lincoln  county),  Henry  (in  Wausau, 
Marathon  county),  William  and  Lena,  of 
whom  Emil,  Louisa  and  Lena  are  now  de- 
ceased. In  i860  George  Ruder  removed  to 
Wausau,  Marathon  county,  and  there 
erected  a  brewery  w^hich  he  conducted  up  to 
1887,  when  he  retired  from  active  business, 
the  following  year,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  daughter,  Emma,  visiting  his  native 
land,  and  spending  upward  of  twelve 
months  in  travel  and  sight-seeing,  among 
other  places  visiting  Berlin  and  Munich. 
His  death  occurred  December  29,  1893,  at 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  whither  he  had  gone  for 
medical  treatment,  and  was  buried  in  ^^'au- 
sau  cemetery.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
L  O.  O.  F.,  was  president  of  the  village, 
and  alderman  of  the  city  of  \\'ausau  four 
years. 

Emil  Ruder,  whose  name  appears  at  the 
opening  of  this  sketch,  on  leaving  school 
entered  his  father's  brewery  in  Wausau,  in 
order  to  learn  the  business,  and  in  1882  ac- 
companied him  to  Merrill.  Here  in  18S6 
he  bought  the  brewery  built  by  his  father, 
and  which  he  enlarged  and  improved,  con- 
ducting same  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  23,  1894.  He  left  a  widow  and  six 
children  to  mourn  the  early  taking  away  of 
a  loving  husband  and  kind,  indulgent  father, 
besides  many  sorrowing  friends  who  knew 
him  as  an  active  business  man,  generous- 
hearted  and  highly  respected  by  all.  Polit- 
ically a  Democrat,  he  served  the  city  of 
Merrill  as  alderman;  socially,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Sons  of  Hermann,  and  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Druids  of  Merrill, 
and  of  the  German   Benevolent  Society. 

On  July  27,  1884,  Mr.  Ruder  was  mar- 
ried, in  Wausau,  Wis.,  to  Jiliss  Mary  La;s- 
sig,  who  was  born  in  Chicago,  111.,  daughter 
of  Edward  and  Janette  (Baenen)  Laessig, 
w^ho  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children :  Ed- 
ward, Mary,  Henry,  Augusta,  Minnie,  Fred- 
erick, Frank,  Charles,  Louis,  Julia,  Anna 
and  Nellie,  the  last  named  dying  in  infancy. 
The  father  was  born  July  15,  1S35,  in 
Saxony,   Germany,  whence   when   a  young 


man  he  came  to  America,  and  for  several 
years  worked  as  a  common  laborer.  In 
1856,  in  Chicago,  111.,  he  married  Miss 
Janette  Baenen,  who  w-as  born  in  Holland, 
in  January.  1838,  and  same  year  came  to 
America  with  her  parents,  who  had  a  family 
of  seven  children,  namely:  Frank.  Mary, 
Janette,  John,  Henry,  Bell  and  Minnie. 
After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laessig  moved 
to  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  and  there  resided  nine 
years,  when  they  moved  to  Wausau,  and  at 
the  end  of  four  years  bought  a  farm  in  Mar- 
athon county.  Wis.,  whither  they  removed 
and  where  they  are  yet  residing.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  Emil  Ruder  are  Lena,  Lizzie, 
George,  Edward,  Willie  and  baby  Emil. 

William  Ruder,  a  younger  son  of  the  late 
George  Ruder,  by  his  wife,  Louisa  (Schmidt), 
was  born  in  \\'ausau.  Wis.,  Aug.  12,  1873. 
Until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  attended 
school  at  Wausau,  and  then  went  to  Mil- 
waukee, where  he  took  a  course  in  a  business 
college  in  that  city,  graduating  from  same  in 
June,  1889.  In  the  following  August  he 
came  to  Merrill,  where  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  his  brother  Emil,  in  the  capacity  of 
bookkeeper,  collector,  etc.,  positions  he 
held  until  the  death  of  the  latter,  since  when 
he  has  had  entire  charge  of  the  business  for 
behoof  of  the  widow.  Though  yet  a  young 
man,  he  has  made  many  friends  among  the 
business  men  of  Merrill.  In  his  political 
affiliation  he  is  a  sound  Democrat,  while 
socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Her- 
mann, the  German  Benevolent  Society  and 
the  Order  of  Druids  of  Merrill,  of  which 
latter  he  is  secretary. 

On  April  24,  1894,  W^illiam  Ruder  and 
Theresa  Bott  were  married  at  Wausau, 
Wis.  She  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  at 
Rockford,  daughter  of  Marcus  and  Eva 
(Harris)  Bott,  who  were  the  pare'nts  of  five 
children:  Theresa,  Tillie,  John,  Frank, 
and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Bott  was 
a  native  of  Germany,  and  came  to  America 
when  a  young  man;  a  mason  by  trade,  he 
followed  it  successfully  until  his  death  in 
Merrill,  April,  1885.  His  widow  was  born 
in  Wisconsin,  near  Milwaukee;  she  remar- 
ried, her  second  husband  being  Henry  J. 
Hampel,  by  whom  she  has  two  children: 
Henry  and  George. 


i6o 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


CALVIN  CHAFEE,    proprietor    of  a 
first-class    livery    stable  in   Rhine- 
lander,  Oneida  county,  is  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  born  October  25, 
1835,     in    Hulburton,    Orleans    county,     of 
Scottish  ancestry. 

Isaac  Chafee,  grandfather  of  oursubject, 
was  born  December  26,  1768,  perhaps  in 
Scotland,  but  more  probably,  it  is  thought, 
in  America;  he  was  married  in  the  latter 
country  to  Mary  Burnside,  born  in  the  New 
England  States.  Nine  children  Were  the 
result  of  this  union,  viz. :  Rufus,  Adolphus, 
Mary,  Isaac  M.  (i),  Walter,  Lucinda,  Isaac 
M.  (2),  Llo3'd  and  Isaac  M.  (3),  of  whom 
Isaac  M.  (ij,  Lucinda  and  Isaac  M.  (2)  are 
deceased.  The  father  of  these,  who  was  a 
musical  instrument  maker,  died  March  8, 
1835,  the  mother  in  December,  1848. 

Lloyd  Chafee,  father  of  Calvin,  was  born 
at  Guildhall,  Essex  Co.,  \i..  May  12,  1S12, 
and  married  Elizabeth  Garnsey,  who  was 
born  at  Stamford,  Conn.,  October  7,  1S17, 
daughter  of  Ezra  and  Lanah  (Bennett) 
Garnsey,  natives  of  Connecticut,  the  father 
born  April  12,  1780,  the  mother  on  March 
II,  1787;  they  both  died  in  New  York 
State,  he  in  1857,  she  Febuary  3,  1856,  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  named  respect- 
ively: Catherine,  Rosetta  B.,  Sarah  A., 
Jesse  H.,  Solomon  S.,  James  B.,  Phcebe  S., 
Elizabeth,  Samuel  B.,  ^VilliamH.,  Ezra  M. 
and  Leonard  H.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chafee 
were  born  fourteen  children — Calvin,  Emily 
M.,  Edward  and  Edwin  (twinsj,  Charles, 
Sarah,  Emeline  S.,  Franklin,  Henry,  Leon- 
ard, Ezra  G.,  Lanah  B.,  Rufus  and  Rosetta 
E. — nine  of  whom  lived  to  maturity.  In 
1845  Lloyd  Chafee  brought  his  family  to 
Wisconsin,  and  for  one  year  he  worked  at 
his  trade,  shoemaking,  at  Watertown,  Jef- 
ferson county,  and  then  for  eight  years 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  on  a  farm 
near  Oshkosh,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Waushara  county,  passing  the  rest  of  his 
days  on  a  farm  there,  at  the  same  time 
working  at  his  trade.  He  died  in  Waushara 
county,  November  28,  1872,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him  until  September  25,  1893.  Mr. 
Chafee  was  a  well-read  man  and  well- 
informed  on  all  topics,  a  leader  among  men, 
holding    manv    local    offices    of  honor  and 


trust,  and  taking  a  wide  interest  in  educa- 
tional affairs.  Sociallj',  he  was  a  member 
of  the  F.  &  A.  M. 

Calvin  Chafee,  the  subject  proper  of 
these  lines,  who  was  ten  years  old  when  the 
family  came  to  Wisconsin,  received  a  fairl}- 
liberal  education  at  the  common  schools  of 
the  period,  and  being  the  eldest  in  the 
famil}'  early  in  life  commenced  assisting  his 
father  in  clearing  the  farms,  so  continuing 
until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  then 
worked  in  the  lumber  woods,  winters,  and 
running  the  river,  summers,  until  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  settled  on  his  farm  in 
Waushara  county,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  till  1891,  the  j'ear  of  his  com- 
ing to  Rhinelander.  and  engaging  in  his 
present  prosperous  livery  stable  business. 
In  June,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Tamar  E.  Rozell,  who  was  born  October  30, 
1 84 1,  in  Tioga  county,  Penn.,  daughter  of 
Hopkins  D.  and  Catherine  (Cooper)  Rozell, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  James 
Rozell,  who  in  his  younger  days  was  a  dyer, 
in  later  life  a  farmer,  and  was  married  to 
Lucia  Byron,  by  whom  he  had  five  children: 
Hopkins  D. ,  Edwin,  Alfred,  William  and 
Susan.  The  famil}-  came  to  Wisconsin  in 
1855.  Hopkins  D.  Rozell  was  a  native  of 
Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  born  June  23, 
1873,  and  died  in  Waushara  county,  Wis., 
January  6,  1891.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade,  and  also  followed  farming.  His  wife, 
Catherine  (Cooper)  Rozell,  was  born  in 
New  York,  in  18 14,  and  died  in  Februar\', 
1894,  in  Wisconsin.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cal- 
vin Chafee  were  born  si.x  children:  Robert 
E.  (now  a  druggist  in  Rhinelander),  Cather- 
ine E.  (married  to  William  M.  Weld,  a 
farmer  of  Waushara  county.  Wis.),  Frank 
H.  (deceased  at  the  age  of  three  years), 
Leonard  H.,  Letta  (who  died  in  infancy) 
and  Charles  E. 

On  November  21,  1863,  Mr.  Chafee  en- 
listed in  Company  G,  Thirtieth  Wis.  V.  I., 
and  received  an  honorable  discharge  Sep- 
tember 20,  1865.  His  regiment  served  in 
the  West,  chiefly  on  detail  duty,  only  one 
company  at  a  time  being  stationed  at  any 
point.  Our  subject  has  been  a  Republican 
since  the  organization  of  the  party,  and  held 
public  offices  of  trust  in  Waushara  county 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOORAPEICAL   RECORD. 


i6l 


some  twenty  j-ears.  He  has  been  an  active 
Freemason  for  a  long  time,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.  The  entire  family  are 
identified  with  the  M.  E.  Church. 


JOHN  F.  SAWYER,  a  substantial  citi- 
zen of  Wausau,  Marathon  county,  was 
born  in  Hampden,  Maine,  November  8, 
1 85 1.  His  parents,  Emerson  M.  and 
Sarah  Patterson  Sawyer,  were  both  born  in 
the  State  of  Maine,  of  English  and  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  were  early  settlers  of  Waupaca 
county,  Wis.,  having  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  Dayton,  in  that  county,  in  1855. 

To  Emerson  M.  Sawyer  and  his  wife  was 
born  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living,  namely:  R.  Dwynel,  a  member 
of  the  Wausau  city  fire  department;  Charles 
H.,  residing  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  John 
F. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Arthur  E., 
residing  in  Chicago;  Rual  Willis,  an  agri- 
culturist in  the  township  of  Dayton,  Wau- 
paca county;  and  Edward  C,  in  Traill 
county,  N.  Dak.  James  O.  Sawyer,  the 
eldest  son  in  the  family,  served  in  Company 
G,  Eighteenth  Wis.  V.  I.,  and  died  in  hos- 
pital in  Indiana  from  the  effects  of  hardships 
incurred  during  the  war.  After  locating  in 
Dayton  township,  in  1855,  Emerson  M. 
Sawyer  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Dayton  township,  and  in  Marion,  Dupont 
township,  Waupaca  county,  until  about 
1884,  when  he  retired  from  active  business 
life  and  made  his  home  with  his  son  John, 
coming  with  him  to  Wausau  on  his  removal 
here.  He  is  still  living,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-three  years.  His  wife,  Sarah, 
mother  of  the  family  above  mentioned,  died 
at  Marion,  Dupont  township,  Waupaca 
county,  in  1888. 

John  F.  Sawyer  was  reared  a  farmer's 
boy,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Waupaca  county.  After  leaving  school  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1883, 
during  which  period  he  operated  a  threshing 
machine  throughout  Waupaca  county.  In 
the  village  of  Ogdensburg,  St.  Lawrence 
township,  ^^'aupaca  county,  August  6,  1871, 
John  F.  Sawyer  married  Annie  Shannon, 
and  they  have  three  children,  namely: 
Schuyler   C,  a  harness  maker,   residing  at 


Rhinelander,  Oneida  Co.,  Wis.;  Clyde  S., 
a  harness  maker  at  Wausau,  Marathon 
county;  and  Erdix  A.,  at  home.  The  par- 
ents of  Mrs.  Sawyer,  John  and  Harriet 
(Dewey)  Shannon,  were  born  on  Wolfe 
Island,  Canada. 

In  1883  Mr.  Sawyer  went  to  Marion,  Du- 
pont township,  Waupaca  county,  and  was 
in  the  livery  business  there  until  1893,  in 
February  of  which  year  he  removed  to 
Wausau,  Marathon  county,  continuing  here 
the  same  occupation.  For  eight  or  ten 
years  he  was  engaged  in  teaming  provisions, 
etc.,  from  Wausau  to  the  lumber  camps  as 
far  as  Eagle  River,  Onedia  Co. ,  Wis. ,  and 
also  to  Escanaba,  Mich.,  the  round  trip  oc- 
cupying thirteen  days,  and  during  this  time 
he  had  many  thrilling  adventures  with  wild 
animals.  Mr.  Sawyer  conducts  one  of  the 
largest  and  best  equipped  livery  stables  in 
Wausau,  and  is  highly  respected  as  an 
honorable  and  upright  business  man  and  a 
valuable  citizen.  In  political  views  he  is 
liberal.  The  family  attend  the  Methodist 
Church. 


GILBERT  GILSON  belongs  to  that 
class  of  sturdy  Norwegians  who 
have  been  an  important  factor  in 
the  upbuilding  and  development  of 
Waupaca  county.  He  was  born  June  i, 
1839,  in  Norway,  as  was  his  father,  Gilbert 
Christenson,  whose  birth  occurred  in  the 
year  1800.  The  latter  followed  lumbering 
in  his  native  country,  and  was  there  united  in 
marriage  with  Martha  Larson,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Norway  in  1802.  The  grand- 
father. Christen  Erickson,  was  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence  and  influence  in 
the  community  in  which  he  made  his  home, 
and  two  of  his  sons  were  soldiers  in  the  war 
which  occurred  between  Norway  and  Swe- 
den from  1807  to  1 814,  and  helped  to  gain 
for  the  former  her  freedom  and  her  new 
constitution. 

In  1852  Mr.  Christenson  left  his  old 
home,  and  bidding  good-by  to  friends 
and  native  land  sailed  with  his  family  for 
the  United  States.  He  located  in  Norway 
township,  Racine  Co.,  Wis.,  where  he 
worked   as  a  common   laborer   for  about  a 


1 62 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


year.  In  1853  he  came  to  Scandinavia 
township,  Waupaca  county,  and  purchased 
160  acres  of  land,  to  the  development  and 
improvement  of  which  he  devoted  his  en- 
ergies until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1877.  His  wife  survived  him  two  years, 
passing  away  in  1879.  They  were  ad- 
herents of  the  Lutheran  faith,  and  in  politics 
he  was  a  Republican.  Gilbert  Gilson,  our 
subject,  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  America.  He  attended  school  but 
three  months;  but  being  naturally  talented 
and  fond  of  study  he  through  his  own  efforts 
obtained  a  good  education,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  most  intellectual  men 
of  his  township.  His  early  boyhood  days 
were  passed  upon  his  father's  farm,  but 
when  he  was  still  quite  young  he  engaged  as 
a  postal  clerk  in  the  Waupaca  postoffice,  in 
which  position  he  efficiently  served  for  three 
years.  He  was  then  employed  in  a  drug  store 
in  Waupaca  for  a  period  of  two  years,  after 
which  he  worked  in  the  pineries  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  events  which  at- 
tended the  opening  of  that  struggle,  and  in 
1863  he  offered  his  services  to  the  govern- 
ment, becoming  one  of  the  "  boys  in  blue  " 
of  Company  K,  Tenth  Wis.  V.  I.  After- 
ward he  was  transferred  to  Company  D, 
Twenty-fourth  Wis.  V.  I.,  and  subsequently 
became  a  member  of  Company  B,  Third 
Wisconsin  Veteran  Regiment.  He  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca,  Altoona, 
Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
and  when  the  South  had  laid  down  its  arms, 
and  the  war  was  over,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Louisville,  Ky.,in  July,  1865. 
He  now  receives  a  pension  from  the  govern- 
ment, for  the  hardships  of  army  life  caused 
disability  from  which  he  has  never  yet  fully 
recovered. 

When  his  services  were  no  longer  needed, 
Mr.  Gilson  at  once  returned  to  his  home, 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  100  acres  in  Scan- 
dinavia township.  Since  that  time  he  has 
followed  farming,  and  is  numbered  among 
the  representative  agriculturists  of  the  com- 
munit}',  for  his  practical  and  progressive 
ideas  make  him  a  leader  among  his  fellow 
townsmen.  His  life  has  been  a  busy  and 
useful  one,  yet  he  has  found  time  to  devote 


to  public  interests,  having  filled  various 
offices  of  honor  and  trust  in  his  township. 
He  has  served  as  township  supervisor,  for 
three  years  was  chairman  of  the  board,  was 
assessor,  is  now  serving  as  town  clerk,  and 
for  twenty-two  consecutive  years  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace.  His  long  service  well 
indicates  his  fidelity  to  duty  and  the  confi- 
dence aud  trust  reposed  in  him.  In  his 
social  relations  he  is  connected  with  the 
Grand  Army  Post,  while  in  religious  faith 
he  is  connected  with  the  Lutheran  Church, 
as  are  the  members  of  his  family. 

Mr.  Gilson  was  married  in  Waupaca, 
November  26,  1862,  to  Miss  Emily  Jagers, 
daughter  of  Jager  and  Betsy  Thompson, 
who  were  natives  of  Norway,  in  which 
country  Mrs.  Gilson  was  born  in  1837. 
They  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 
whom  Martha,  and  two  sons,  both  named 
Gilbert  J.,  are  now  deceased.  Josephine 
B.  is  the  wife  of  Nels  Dalielson;  Gustave 
Martin  and  Louis  Christian  are  at  home. 


ADELBERT  S.  HARTWELL  was 
born  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  October 
21,  1850,  and  is  descended  from  an- 
cestors who  have  long  resided  in  this 
country.  His  grandfather,  William  Hart- 
well,  was  born  in  New  York,  and  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming.  He  wedded 
Betsy  Heath,  and  their  si.x  sons  were  named 
John,  William,  Horace,  Orin,  Lewis  and 
George.  During  the  war  of  1 8 1 2  grandfather 
Hartwell  served  as  an  infantry  soldier. 

John  Hartwell,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Cattaraugus  count}',  N.  Y. ,  in 
1 8 14,  and  he,  too,  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits.  In  the  Empire  State  he  wedded 
Mary  Ray,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Ray, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  major  general  in 
the  Revolution,  serving  with  great  distinc- 
tion in  that  struggle.  In  his  family  were 
five  children — Otis,  Mary,  Marcia,  Augusta, 
and  Caroline.  John  Hartwell  and  his  wife 
had  four  children — Theresa,  Frances,  Au- 
gusta and  Adelbert.  The  father  became  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Milwaukee,  \\'is. ,  and 
purchased  a  farm  which  is  now  comprised  in 
the  center  of  that  city.  The  family  located 
in  Shiawassee  county,  Mich.,  in    1855,  and 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


163 


there  the  mother  died  the  following  year, 
after  which  the  father  wedded  Mrs.  Merriam, 
a  widow  lad}'.  The  children  on  the  death 
of  their  mother  had  returned  to  Wisconsin 
to  live  with  their  grandfather,  who  in  the 
meantime  had  removed  from  New  York  to 
Pewaukee,  Waukesha  Co.,  Wis.,  where  he 
died  in  1875.  John  Hartwell  passed  away 
in  1877. 

Adelbert  S.  Hartwell  was  a  child  of  only 
si.\  summers  when  his  mother  died,  and  he 
then  went  to  live  with  his  grandfather  with 
whom  he  remained  until  i860,  when  he 
went  to  the  western  part  of  the  State  and 
resided  with  an  uncle  two  years.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  commenced  the  battle  of  life 
for  himself,  sometimes  working  on  the  river, 
and  again  on  a  farm  in  Minnesota.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  went  into  the  lumber  woods 
and  securing  employment  in  a  sawmill 
worked  his  way  steadily  upward,  having  for 
the  past  six  years  held  the  responsible  posi- 
tion of  head  sawyer  with  the  Upham  Manu- 
facturing Company. 

In  1879,  Mr.  Hartwell  married  Miss 
Imogene  Manning,  a  nati\-e  of  Jefferson 
county,  Wis.,  and  daughter  of  Adkins  and 
Helen  (Grover)  Manning,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  the  latter  of  Wisconsin. 
They  lived  upon  a  farm  in  Jefferson  county 
and  had  three  children:  Imogene,  Lucia  and 
Clara.  The  mother  died  in  1866,  the  father 
in  1880.  Mr.  Hartwell  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife  in  1888,  and  in 
October,  1891,  he  married  Anna  Judson, 
who  was  born  in  Rome,  Jefferson  Co. ,  Wis., 
a  daughter  of  Lyman  T.  and  Angeline 
(Foss)  Judson.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Canada  in  1829,  and  during  the  Civil  war 
served  for  three  years  in  the  First  Wiscon- 
sin Artillery,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. His  wife  was  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  died  in  1884,  leaving  three  children. 
Anna,  Willis  E.  and  Ernest.  The  father  is 
now  living  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hart- 
well, who  by  her  marriage  has  one  son. 
Earl  Adelbert. 

Mr.  Hartwell  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  been  honored  with  several  local  of- 
fices, including  that  of  alderman,  while  resid- 
ing  in    Merrill,    Wis.      He    belongs   to  the 


Masonic,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Modern 
Woodmen  fraternities,  and  is  a  plain,  unas- 
suming man,  devoting  himself  to  his  busi- 
ness interests,  and  by  his  quiet,  upright  life 
has  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 


AW.  SHELTON,  a  leading  attorney 
at  law  of  Oneida  county,  with  res- 
idence at  Rhinelander,  is  a  native 
of  Minnesota,  born  in  1859  at  New- 
port, a  son  of  Charles  N.  and  Ann  Shelton. 
He  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Wisconsin  in  the  engineering  course  in 
1883,  in  the  law  course  in  1885,  and  in  Jan- 
uary of  the  following  year  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  Rhinelander.  From 
1 89 1  to  1893  he  served  as  district  attorney 
of  Oneida  county,  and  from  1894  to  1895 
was  city  attorney  of  Rhinelander.  In  1892 
he  bought  the  Rhinelander  Herald,  and 
organized  the  Herald  Publishing  Co.,  of 
which  he  is  president,  Mrs.  Shelton  being 
secretary.  Our  subject  has  been  connected, 
with  uniform  success,  with  all  of  the  munici- 
pal litigation  which  followed  the  organiza- 
tion of  Oneida  county,  which  litigation  has 
been  considerable,  and,  some  of  it,  im- 
portant. In  1886,  at  Oregon,  Wis.,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  M.  Howe, 
daughter  of  Judge  Isaac  Howe  and  Sarah 
Howe.  Mrs.  Shelton  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Wisconsin  in  1884,  and  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Master  of  Science  in 
History  from  that  institution  in  1892.  After 
her  marriage  she  was  superintendent  of 
schools  for  Oneida  county  from  1887  to 
1889,  and,  again,  from  1893  to  1895.  At 
the  present  time  she  is  a  member  of  the 
School  board  of  the  city  of  Rhinelander. 


M 


ARTEN  HANSEN.  The  love  of 
home  and  native  land,  and  the 
love  of  liberty  and  wider  oppor- 
tunities, have  waged  a  long  war- 
fare in  the  mind  of  this  most  estimable 
citizen  and  prosperous  merchant  of  Wau- 
paca. Thrice  he  has  emigrated  to  America, 
and  twice  has  he  returned  to  the  Danish 
hearthstone  intending  to  remain  there.   The 


164 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


love  of  home  is  strongly  implanted  in  the 
heart  of  the  Dane,  and  it  costs  a  great 
struggle  to  cast  aside  relatives  and  life- 
time, or  even  inherited,  associations,  and  to 
transplant  one's  self  to  an  unknown  soil 
where  conditions  are  new  and  strange.  This 
intense  affection  for  home  is  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  valuable  traits  of  hu- 
manit}-.  It  is  the  feeling  which  makes 
patriots  of  the  highest  type,  and  it  is  a 
happy  circumstance  indeed  that  the  Upper 
Wisconsin  Valley  has  been  settled  so  largely 
by  people  of  this  class. 

Marten  Hansen  was  born  in  Denmark 
April  I,  1840,  the  son  of  Hans  and  Ellen 
(Hansen)  Jacobson,  whose  si.\  children  were 
Jacob,  Bodel,  Kaun,  Marten,  and  two  who 
died  in  infancy.  Hans  Jacobson  was  a 
weaver  of  cloth,  and  died  in  1 849  when 
Marten,  the  youngest  living  child,  was  nine 
years  old.  Marten  attended  school  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  in  1855  was 
apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker,  for  whom  he 
worked  three  3'ears  for  his  board.  He  was 
ambitious,  and  in  i860,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  he  started  a  shop  of  his  own  in  the 
village  of  Karleby.  But  his  advance  to- 
ward a  competence  was  slow,  and  in  1866 
he  came  to  America.  For  two  years  he 
worked  steadily  at  his  trade  in  Oshkosh, 
Wis.,  and  in  1S68  he  came  to  Waupaca, 
becoming  a  workman  in  the  shop  of  Ole 
Larson.  Here  he  remained  four  years,  lay- 
ing by  a  neat  little  sum  of  money.  In  the 
summer  of  1872  he  returned  to  Denmark, 
and  while  there  married  Karen  Jergensen, 
by  whom  he  has  had  three  children:  Chris- 
tian H.,  Charles  and  Erwin  Hansen.  Re- 
maining in  his  native  land  ten  months  Mr. 
Hansen,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  returned 
with  his  wife  to  Waupaca.  Here  he  worked 
for  others  until  1876,  when  he  started  in 
business  for  himself.  Though  he  prospered  he 
was  not  yet  wholly  reconciled  to  America, 
and  in  1883  he  returned  to  Denmark  with 
his  family,  intending  to  remain  there.  But 
he  saw  the  contrast  between  the  new  and 
the  old,  and  the  conditions  of  life  under  the 
old  order  of  things  grew  distasteful.  After 
a  ten-months'  visit  Mr.  Hansen  crossed  the 
Atlantic  ocean  for  the  fifth  time,  and  once 
more  become  the  industrious   and    faithful 


shoe  merchant  at  Waupaca.  In  1893  he 
erected  the  handsome  and  substantial  block 
in  which  his  store  is  now  located;  he  has 
also  built  for  himself  a  line  residence.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Luther- 
an Church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. His  eldest  son  is  a  photographer;  the 
second  is  a  clerk  in  the  city  postoffice.  Mr. 
Hansen  is  pleasantly  situated  in  life,  and  is 
one  of  the  prosperous  and  successful  busi- 
ness men  of  Waupaca. 


ALBERT  F.  GERWING  is  numbered 
among  the  self-made  men  of  Marsh- 
field,  Wood  county,  and  has  been 
prominently  connected  with  the  bus- 
iness and  political  history  of  that  city. 
Public-spirited  and  progressive,  he  labors  for 
the  best  interests  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resides,  and  in  public  and  private 
life  is  both  an  honored  and  respected 
citizen. 

Mr.  Gerwing  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Hubbard,  Dodge  Co.,  Wis.,  March  23, 
1853,  and  is  of  German  lineage.  The  grand- 
father, William  Gerwing,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  there  died  of  cholera  at  the  age 
of  forty-five  years,  leaving  a  widow  and 
three  children — one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters. The  son,  who  also  bore  the 
name  of  William,  was  born  in  Germany 
in  1 8 18,  and,  learning  the  trade  of  a 
brick  maker,  followed  that  pursuit  for  a 
number  of  years.  Ere  leaving  his  native 
land  he  married  Wilhelmina  Risse,  daugh- 
ter of  Fred  Risse,  who  for  seven  years, 
from  1807  to  1 8 14,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
German  army.  During  his  service  he  was 
twice  wounded,  and  he  carried  the  King  off 
the  field  when  he  was  wounded.  In  1848 
Mr.  Gerwing  sailed  with  his  famil}'  for  the 
New  World,  and  located  upon  a  farm  in 
Dodge  county,  Wis.,  which  is  still  the  home 
of  himself  and  wife.  He  too  was  a  soldier 
for  three  years  while  living  in  Europe,  and 
in  America  he  has  ever  been  a  loyal  citizen, 
faithful  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  land. 
In  the  family  were  seven  children,  of  whom 
William,  Charles  and  Albert  F.  are  living; 
August,  Ernstena,  Louisa  and  Henry  are 
deceased. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


165. 


Upon  the  old  homestead  Albert  F. 
Gerwing  was  reared,  attending  the  common 
and  parochial  schools,  and  remaining  with 
his  parents  until  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
he  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  He 
was  employed  in  various  ways  during  the 
succeeding  five  years,  working  as  a  farm 
hand,  in  the  lumber  woods  and  in  hotels. 
He  then  married,  and  settling  in  Marathon 
county.  Wis.,  five  miles  north  of  Marsh- 
field,  on  a  tract  of  wild  land,  he  at  once  be- 
gan to  clear  and  improve  it,  continuing  its 
cultivation  through  the  succeeding  seven 
years.  In  T883  he  entered  into  a  general 
merchandise  business  in  Boj'd,  Chippewa 
county.  There  he  remained  a  year  and  a 
half,  coming  in  1884  to  Marshfield,  where 
he  carried  on  the  same  line  of  business  until 
his  establishment  wag  destroyed  in  the  great 
Marshfield  fire  of  1887.  He  was  a  heavy- 
loser,  but  with  indomitable  perseverance  he 
began  anew  and  continued  the  business  un- 
til the  fall  of  1 89 1.  In  the  spring  of  1892 
he  was  appointed  city  marshal  and  has 
thrice  been  re-appointed,  serving  in  a  highly 
creditable  and  able  manner.  In  this  com- 
munity his  name  inspires  confidence  in  the 
honest  man  and  causes  terror  to  the  evil 
doer.  Fearless  in  the  defense  of  his  duty 
his  trustworthiness  and  fidelity  are  well 
known,  and  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  most 
capable  officers  that  has  ever  served  as  city 
marshal. 

In  1876  Mr.  Gerwing  married  Cornelia 
Jacquot,  who  was  born  in  1854  in  Outaga- 
mie county,  Wis.,  a  daughter  of  John  Jac- 
quot, a  native  of  France,  born  in  1820,  and 
who  came  with  his  parents  to  America  when 
quite  young.  His  father,  John  Jacquot,  a 
soldier  of  the  French  army,  married  Blanche 
Malarr,  and  had  a  family  of  seven  children. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Gerwing  wedded  Mary 
Linton,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  with  her  father  when  a  maiden  of 
eleven  summers,  the  mother  having  died  in 
Germany.  For  many  years  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jacquot  resided  in  Greenville  township, 
Outagamie  county,  the  father  carrying  on 
agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1S83;  his  wife  survived  him  until 
1 89 1.  Their  family  numbered  si.x  children — 
Alexander,     Cornelia,      Helen,      Seraphine, 


Martin  and  John.  Mrs.  Gerwing's  uncle, 
Lawrence,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  for 
three  and  one-half  years,  bravely  aiding  in 
the  defense  of  the  Union. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gerwing,  two  of  whom  are  yet  living: 
Helen  and  Ida;  Mary  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  and  Henrietta  in  infancy.  The 
family  have  in  Marshfield  a  fine  home  which 
is  always  open  for  the  reception  of  their 
many  friends.  In  politics  Mr.  Gerwing  is  a 
Democrat,  and  served  both  as  alderman  and 
supervisor  while  living  in  Marathon  county. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  has 
filled  all  the  chairs  in  the  local  lodge  and 
has  also  attended  the  grand  lodge.  His  life 
has  been  one  of  industry  and  enterprise, 
plain  and  unassuming,  yet  honorable  and 
upright,  and  thus  living  so  as  to  win  the  re- 
spect of  all  he  has  gained  a  large  circle  of 
warm  friends. 


CHARLES  TYRRELL,  a  successful 
agriculturist  of  Bear  Creek  township, 
Waupaca  county,  was  born  April 
18,  1845,  in  Ontario,  Canada,  and  is- 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Le  Grue)  Tyrrell. 

Charles  Tyrrell  remained  at  home  until 
1865,  when  he  assumed  his  own  responsibil- 
ities, and  has  since  maintained  himself.  On 
November  6,  1865,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Margaret  Tyrrell,  his  cousin,  and  who  is  the 
daughter  of  George  and  Angeline  (Perry) 
Tyrrell.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  as  follows:  Harry  Albert,  September 
28,  1867;  Lorenzo  Irving,  December  8, 
1S69;  William  F.,  March  16,  1871;  Lida 
Etta,  April  10,  1873;  Addie  Addelide,  May 
24,  1876;  Ada  Elnora,  June  2,  1879;  and 
Charles  E.,  July  28,  1882.  Of  these,  Lor- 
enzo I.  died  October  24,  1885,  and  Lida  E. 
February  28,  1874.  After  their  marriage 
they  lived  on  the  farm  owned  by  Mrs.  Tyr- 
rell's father  for  about  three  months,  and 
then  removed  to  the  farm  of  Mr.  Tyrrell's 
father,  Charles  Tyrrell  going  to  work  in  the 
woods.  He  was  engaged  in  the  woods  from, 
the  time  he  was  fifteen  years  old  until  about 
the  year  1888. 

About  three  years  after  his  marriage  our 
subject  bought  forty  acres  of  partly-improved 


1 66 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPBICAL   RECORD. 


land  in  Section  36,  Bear  Creek  township, 
and  lived  there  about  five  years.  After  this 
had  been  sold  to  good  advantage  he  bought 
sixty  acres  in  Section  36,  adjoining  the 
former  tract  on  the  east,  and  nearly  all  im- 
proved, and  here  he  has  lived  twenty-one 
years.  He  has  now  thirty  acres  of  land  in 
tillable  condition,  to  which  he  devotes  all 
his  time  Politically  Mr.  Tyrrell  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


BENJAMIN  A.  CADY.  This  well 
known  and  popular  lawyer  of  Birn- 
amwood  and  county  attorney  of 
Shawano  county,  who  also  has  a 
\\arm  place  in  every  loyal  heart  as  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  is  a  native  of  Vermont, 
having  been  born  in  the  town  of  Granville, 
Addison  county,  February  11,1 840. 

Jacob  and  Betsy  (Coolidge)  Cad}', 
parents  of  our  subject,  were  also  natives  of 
the  Green  Mountain  State,  the  father  born 
about  1807,  a  son  of  Isaac  Cady,  a  soldier 
who  served  under  Gen.  Stark  at  the  battle 
of  Bennington.  The  mother's  parents  were 
natives  of  Vermont  and  New  York,  respect- 
ively. The  Cady  family  isHof  Scotch  and 
English  descent,  and  the  grandfathers  on 
both  sides  were  early  settlers  in  America, 
most  of  their  descendants  being  farmers. 
Jacob  Cady  came  to  Wisconsin  from  Lowell, 
Mass.,  making  the  trip  from  Buffalo  to 
Milwaukee  in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  settling 
near  the  latter  city  April  6,  1850.  His  eldest 
son.  Philander,  walked  all  the  way  from 
Buffalo  to  Milwaukee  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  J.  J.  Richardson.  At  the  home  of  this 
relative,  near  Milwaukee,  Jacob  Cady  and 
his  family  visited  for  a  while,  then  fitted  out 
an  o.x-team  and  went  to  the  Indian  lands 
near  the  city  of  Berlin.  Here  Mr.  Cady 
located  near  a  stream  now  known  as  Cady's 
Creek,  and  proceeded  to  clear  the  land  and 
make  a  comfortable  home.  He  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  on  this  place,  and 
there  passed  away  in  1885;  the  mother  still 
resides  on  the  old  homestead  with  her 
grandchild.  Jacob  Cady,  although  he  had 
only  a  common-school  education,  was  a  man 
of  unusual  ability,  and  a  leader  among  men. 
He  was  possessed  of  strong  will  power,  was 


generous  to  the  poor,  liberal  to  the  cause  of 
religion  and  of  unbounded  hospitality;  in  the 
expressive  parlance  of  those  early  days,  it 
was  said  that  "  his  latch-string  was  always 
out."  He  was  no  politician,  but  was  made 
chairman  of  the  town  board,  and  held  other 
minor  offices.  The  children  of  this  worthy 
pioneer  were  five  in  number:  Lucinda  L., 
Philander  H.,  Mary  A.,  Artemus  \\'.,  and 
Benjamin  A. 

The  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  whose 
name  appears  at  the  opening,  was  but  ten 
years  old  when  his  father  settled  in  the 
wilds  of  Wisconsin,  and  his  early  days  will 
never  be  forgotten.  Wolves  and  deer  were 
to  be  seen  in  the  forests,  snakes  crossed  the 
path  through  the  underbrush,  and  the  near- 
est neighbor  was  an  Indian  whose  wigwam 
was  a  mile  away.  There  were  no  schools 
for  five  years  after  their  arrival  in  the  coun- 
ty, but  fortunately  the  boy  had  been  in 
school  in  Lowell  before  he  left  the  East, 
and  under  the  instruction  of  his  parents  pur- 
sued his  studies  at  home  until  he  was  eight- 
een years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the 
high  school  at  Berlin,  later  going  to  Milton 
College.  On  November  24,  1863,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  I,  Thirty-seventh  Wis.  V. 
I.,  of  which  company  he  was  made  clerk; 
in  the  spring  of  1864  the  regiment  joined 
the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  at  Cold  Harbor. 
Mr.  Cady  was  in  several  engagements  in 
front  of  Petersburg,  in  one  of  which,  June 
19,  1864,  he  was  wounded  in  the  right  hand, 
in  consequence  of  which  he  was  sent  to 
Lincoln  Hospital,  at  Washington,  thence 
transferred  to  Madison,  Wis.,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  discharge,  April  20,  1865.  He 
then  returned  to  the  farm,  took  up  the 
study  of  law,  and  in  March,  1867,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Waushara  county.  Wis. 
Opening  up  an  office  in  his  own  house,  he 
commenced  practicing,  at  the  same  time 
carrying  on  his  farm  and  raising  stock.  He 
continued  this  busy  life  until  1881,  when  he 
sold  out  his  interests  there  and  removed  to 
Wood  county,  engaging  in  lumbering  at 
Milladore  where  he  remained  two  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1883  he  closed  out  that  business 
and  came  to  Birnamwood,  where  he  had 
made  some  investments,  and  entered  into  the 
mercantile  business  which  he  carried  on  (at 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


167 


the  same  time  continuing  his  law  practice) 
until  1892,  since  which  time  he  has  devoted 
himself  entirely  to  his  profession,  in  which 
he  has  been  remarkably  successful. 

Mr.  Cady  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views,  but  has  always  been  too  busy  to  be- 
come an  office-seeker;  his  fellow-citizens, 
however,  have  honored  him  by  placing  him 
in  various  public  positions.  He  is  now  dis- 
trict attorney  of  Shawano  county,  having 
been  elected  in  the  fall  of  1894.  He  had 
previously  held  the  same  office  in  Waushara 
county,  two  terms,  and  for  eighteen  years 
was  chairman  of  the  town  board,  during  two 
years  of  which  time  he  was  chairman  of  the 
county  board;  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
county  board  in  his  county,  and  is  now  chair- 
man of  the  Senatorial  committee  of  this 
Senatorial  District.  Socially  he  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Berlin 
Chapter  and  of  Pine  River  Lodge  No.  207. 

On  May  3,  1S64,  Mr.  Cady  was  married 
to  Julia  A.  Shepherd,  daughter  of  Orson  A. 
and  Mary  (Buck)  Shepherd,  natives  of  New 
York,  whence  they  came  to  Wisconsin  in  an 
early  day,  first  locating  in  Walworth  county, 
later  removing  to  Waushara  county;  both 
are  now  deceased.  By  this  marriage  Mr. 
Cady  became  the  father  of  five  children,  as 
follows:  Julia  E.,  who  married  George 
Smith,  and  resides  near  her  father;  Artemus 
A.,  married  and  residing  at  Birnamwood; 
Frank  P.,  a  carpenter  in  Waushara  county; 
Maggie  M.,  residing  at  home;  Myrtie  R., 
who  married  George  Cottrill,  and  lives  in 
Waushara  county.  Mr.  Cady's  second  mar- 
riage took  place  October  16,  1881,  the  bride 
being  Miss  Ada  L.  Empie,  who  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Lake  Mills,  Jefferson  Co.,  Wis. ; 
two  children  have  been  born  to  this  mar- 
riage: Blanche  A.  and  Arthur  L.  Mrs. 
Cady's  parents,  John  H.  and  Mary  (Mont- 
gomery) Empie,  were  natives  of  New  York, 
coming  to  Wisconsin  at  an  early  day;  they 
are  still  living  in  Shawano  county.  They 
had  three  children:  Lawrence  H.,  Ada  L. 
and  Alice  F.  Mr.  Cady  is  a  self-made  man 
with  a  strong  will  and  great  energy,  up  to 
forty  years  of  age  was  a  tireless  worker  in  the 
various  pursuits  in  which  he  engaged,  and 
still  continues  to  labor  zealously  in  his 
chosen  profession. 


M 


ATT  JENSEN.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  for  many  years 
was  a  prominent  and  extensive 
business  man  of  Waupaca,  has  in- 
herited the  indomitable  pluck  and  persever- 
ance of  the  hardy  Norsemen,  a  race  to  which 
he  belongs.  He  has  demonstrated  by  his 
life  how  a  boy  of  determination,  without 
means  or  advantages  of  any  kind,  may  rise 
superior  to  circumstances  and  win  for  him- 
self an  honorable  and  enviable  position  in 
society.  He  was  born  on  the  bleak  shores 
of  Jutland,  Denmark,  January  21,  1850,  son 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Fransen)  Jensen,  and 
was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
only  six  now  survive:  Enger,  Sine,  Matt, 
James,  Minnie  and  Nels.  The  father  died 
in  Denmark;  the  mother  now  lives  with  her 
son  in  Waupaca. 

Young  Matt  attended  the  country  schools 
until  he  was  fourteen,  and  then  hired  out  to 
a  gentleman  for  a  year.  When  sixteen  he 
determined  to  learn  the  tailor's  trade,  but 
after  working  two  years  the  conviction  im- 
pressed itself  upon  him  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake.  Here  his  grit  stood  him  in  good 
stead,  for  he  threw  away  his  two-years'  serv- 
ice and  set  about  learning  the  butcher's 
trade,  working  for  three  years  without  any 
wages.  In  1872  he  landed  in  America  with 
but  fifty  cents  in  his  pocket,  and  with  a 
debt  of  $50.,  incurred  in  paying  his  passage. 
At  Stockbridge,  Calumet  Co.,  Wis.,  he 
found  work  in  a  brickyard  for  three  months, 
then  worked  at  his  trade  in  Oshkosh  with 
Henry  Midelstadt  for  a  short  time.  Hiring 
out  in  a  sawmill  for  a  while,  he  next  spent 
six  months  in  the  woods.  For  a  year  he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  Neenah,  and  in  March, 
1874,  with  a  capital  of  $60.,  opened  a  mar- 
ket of  his  own  at  Waupaca.  Gradually  he 
gained  experience.  For  six  months  he  con- 
ducted the  shop,  and  during  the  ensuing 
winter  he  butchered  for  others.  Reopening 
his  shop  in  1875,  he  remained  its  proprietor 
until  fire  in  1879  consumed  all  his  posses- 
sions and  left  him  penniless,  for  he  carried 
no  insurance.  Forming  a  partnership  with 
Hans  Peterson,  he  erected  a  brick  building 
on  borrowed  capital,  and  therein  conducted 
a  meat  market  for  five  years.  In  1884  he 
bought  and  built  the  place  of  business  where 


i6S 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


he  successfully  followed  his  chosen  occupa- 
tion until  March,  1895,  when  he  sold  out, 
though  he  is  still  engaged  to  some  extent  in 
buying  and  selling  stock.  Until  1892  he 
bought  cattle  and  hogs,  slaughtered  them, 
and  shipped  the  products  to  many  points  in 
the  north.  His  success  as  a  business  man 
is  sufficiently  attested  by  his  present  invest- 
ments. At  Waupaca  he  owns  four  stores, 
four  dwellings,  and  ten  acres  of  land  besides 
his  own  commodious  and  handsome  home, 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Jensen  was  married,  at  the  Danish 
Lutheran  Church  in  Waupaca,  to  Lena  Jen- 
sen, who  when  nine  years  old  emigrated  to 
America  from  Denmark  with  her  parents. 
Her  father  was  a  farmer  in  Lind  township, 
and  she  has  one  brother  now  living,  Soren 
Jensen.  In  politics  Mr.  Jensen  is  a  Repub- 
lican, casting  his  first  vote  for  Gen.  Grant. 
He  served  his  city  one  term  as  alderman, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  Church.  They  visited  his 
old  home  in  Denmark,  in  1882,  remaining 
about  six  months. 


NICOLAY  NEGAARD,     one    of    the 
prosperous  farmers  of  St.  Lawrence 
township,    like    many    of  Waupaca 
county's  best  citizens,  is  a  native  of 
Norway,  where  he  was  born  November  1 1 , 
1855,  a  son  of  Nels  Nelson,  who  supported 
his  famil}'  by  day's  labor. 

Our  subject  received  a  good  education 
in  his  native  land,  being  able  to  attend 
school  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  entered  the  .Government  Military 
Academy,  from  which  he  graduated  in  less 
than  three  years.  For  some  time  during 
the  winter  seasons  he  was  employed  in  scal- 
ing logs,  and  then  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  for  himself.  He  concluded  to 
come  to  the  United  States,  however,  where 
better  opportunities  are  afforded  young  men, 
and,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  bidding  farewell 
to  his  home  and  friends,  he  left  Christiania 
for  England,  where  at  Liverpool  he  took 
passage  on  an  Anchor  Line  steamer  for 
America.  After  eighteen  days  he  arrived  in 
Waupaca,  Wis. ,  having  stopped  three  days 
en   route,    and   with    him    came  Miss   Mary 


Strand,  who  was  to  become  his  bride  a  few. 
days  later.  They  were  married  at  Scandi- 
navia, Wis.,  in  July,  1883,  and  by  their 
union  were  born  two  children  who  are  yet 
living:  John,  born  April  12,  1884,  and 
Norman  M.,  born  August  26,  1888;  the 
mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  Septem- 
ber 7,  1888,  after  a  continued  illness,  and 
lies  buried  in  Ogdensburg  Cemetery.  In 
St.  Lawrence  township,  Waupaca  county,  in 
July,  1890,  Mr.  Negaard  wedded  Miss 
Jennie  M.  Westcot,  only  child  of  Lyman 
and  Dorcas  (Howland)  Westcot,  and  to 
them  has  come  a  daughter.  Alma  D. ,  born 
July  30,  1 89 1. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Negaard 
rented  a  house  and  worked  at  anything  by 
which  he  could  earn  an  honest  dollar, 
chiefly  employed,  however,  on  farms  and  in 
the  lumber  woods.  In  1887  he  was  able  to 
purchase  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Sec- 
tion 12,  St.  Lawrence  township,  Waupaca 
county,  and  began  its  improvement;  it  was 
wild  undeveloped  land,  which  he  sold.  He 
now  has  in  his  possession  170  acres  of  rich, 
arable  land,  in  company  with  his  father-in- 
law,  and,  although  he  has  experienced  the 
trials  and  difficulties  of  life  in  a  new  coun- 
try, he  is  now  reaping  his  reward.  He 
started  out  a  poor  boy;  but  by  perseverance 
and  good  management  has  become  a  well- 
to-do  citizen,  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
the  entire  community,  and  is  an  intelligent, 
well-educated  man,  being  far  above  the 
average  farmer  of  his  nationality  in  that 
respect.  On  election  day  he  never  fails  to 
cast  his  vote  in  support  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  gives  no  time  to  politics,  although 
he  has  held  office  in  his  School  District 
No.  2. 

Lyman  A.  Westcot,  father  of  Mrs.  Ne- 
gaard, was  born  in  Sudbury,  Vt.,  August 
20,  1833,  son  of  Oliver  and  Mary  (Howland) 
Westcot,  also  natives  of  \^ermont,  where 
they  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the 
family  were  eight  children — five  sons  and 
three  daughters — in  which  Mr.  Westcot  was 
the  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  He  attended 
the  district  schools  until  the  age  of  fifteen, 
when  for  three  months  he  pursued  his 
studies  in  the  high  school,  after  which  he 
began    teaching,    receiving   a   salary   of  ten 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPSWAL   RECORD. 


169 


dollars  per  month,  while  the  highest  wages 
paid  at  that  time  was  only  fifteen  dollars. 
On  Januarj'  i,  1862,  in  Brandon,  Rutland 
Co.,  Vt.,  Mr.  ^^'estcot  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Dorcas  J.  Howland,  who  was 
born  in  Pittsford,  that  county,  August  11, 
1842,  a  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Permelia 
Howland,  who  had  seven  children — four 
sons  and  three  daughters — of  whom  Mrs. 
Westcot  was  second.  By  her  marriage 
were  born  three  children,  of  whom  Clyde  O. 
and  Addie  A.  both  died  young;  Jennie  M., 
born  March  21,  1866  (now  Mrs.  Nicolay 
Negaardj,  being  the  only  one  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Westcot  began  their  do- 
mestic life  in  Hubbardton,  Vt.,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  He  had  previously  come 
west  in  1855,  locating  at  Stoughton,  Dane 
Co.,  Wis.,  where  he  clerked  in  a  store,  but 
becoming  ill  with  fever  and  ague  returned 
east  at  the  end  of  one  year.  On  September 
10,  1866,  with  his  wife  he  started  from  Hub- 
bardton, Vt.,  for  Stoughton,  Wis.,  where 
he  had  relatives  living,  and  there  spent  the 
following  winter.  He  rented  a  farm  and 
made  preparations  to  put  in  a  crop,  but  in 
April,  1867,  went  to  the  town  of  Cato,  Mani- 
towoc county,  where  his  brother,  Alfred  H., 
resided.  There  our  subject  was  employed 
in  a  sawmill  during  the  summer,  then  in  the 
fall  purchased  twenty  acres  of  improved 
land,  being  able  to  pay  but  $50  on  the  same, 
having  to  go  in  debt  for  the  remainder.  He 
was  very  successful  in  this  line,  and  added 
to  his  original  tract  until  at  one  time  he  had 
over  eighty  acres.  He  lived  in  Manitowoc 
county  until  coming  to  St.  Lawrence  town- 
ship, Waupaca  county,  in  March,  1882, 
where  he  had  bought  two  hundred  acres  in 
Section  1 1  in  June  of  the  previous  year.  He 
later  sold  some  of  this,  still  owning,  how- 
ever, 170  acres  of  rich  farming  land  in  com- 
pany with  his  son-in-law. 

On  February  13,  1891,  Mr.  Westcot  was 
called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
who  is  interred  in  Ogdensburg  Park  Ceme- 
tery. That  he  has  made  life  a  grand  suc- 
cess is  due  to  his  untiring  energy,  affability, 
integrity  and  judicious  business  management. 
Politically  he  is  independent,  casting  his  bal- 
lot for  the  best  man,  regardless  of  party 
principles. 


ANDREW  LUTZ,   Jr.,    proprietor  of 
a    leading    livery  stable  in    Stevens 
Point,  Portage  county,  was  born  in 
Baden,    Germany,    April    4,     1845, 
eldest  surviving  son   of   Andrew   and    Eliza- 
beth   (Gaber)    Lutz,    also    natives    of    the 
Fatherland. 

In  1853  our  subject  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  mother,  the  husband  and 
father  having  preceded  them,  in  1852,  in 
order  to  prepare  a  home  for  them  in  Almond 
township.  Portage  Co.,  Wis.  Here  the 
young  lad  was  reared  and  educated,  and 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
1888,  when  he  removed  to  Stevens  Point 
and  opened  out  his  present  livery  stable, 
which  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  city. 

In  Almond  township.  Portage  Co.,  Wis., 
October  30,  1S67,  Mr.  Lutz  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mena  Krohn,  daughter  of 
Fred  and  Mena  Krohn,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, now  residents  of  Stevens  Point,  and 
to  this  marriage  were  born  twelve  children, 
four  of  whom  survive:  Charles,  Frank, 
Henry  and  Annie.  In  religious  faith  the 
family  attend  the  services  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Lutz  is 
a  stanch  Republican.  He  is  a  progressive, 
wide-awake  citizen,  standing  high  in  the 
estimation  of  all  who  know  him,  or  have  had 
any  dealings  with  him,  for  his  personal  in- 
tegrity and  straightforward  honest  princi- 
ples. 


HIEL  HEATH,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Amherst  township,  Portage  county, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Randolph, 
Orange  Co.,  Vt.,  May  22,  18 12,  and 
is  the  son  of  James  Heath,  born  in  Con- 
necticut April  22,  1776,  and  Sarah  (Gloyd) 
Heath,  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  in  1774. 
The  first  of  the  Heath  family  to  emigrate 
to  this  country  were  two  brothers,  natives  of 
the  north  of  England,  who  came  about  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  landing  at 
Boston,  Mass.  One  located  on  a  farni  in 
the  suburbs  of  that  city,-  and  the  other  went 
farther  west  and  was  never  afterward  heard 
from  by  his  brother.  Reuben  Heath,  a 
great-uncle    of    Hiel    Heath,    was    born    in 


170 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Massachusetts,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of 
four  brothers  who  fought  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  Reuben  and  William  alone 
surviving.  The  children  of  Reuben  were 
Nathaniel,  Rachel,  Sarah  and  Mary.  Grand- 
father Heath  owned  a  farm  near  Boston, 
where  he  died.  His  children  were  as  fol- 
lows: Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  a  Methodist 
minister,  who  preached  a  few  years  in  Ran- 
dolph, Vt.,  was  called  to  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  died:  and  James,  the  father  of  Hiel 
Heath.  The  children  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  after  the  death  of  their  mother, 
then  located  on  a  farm  in  Randolph,  \'er- 
mont. 

James  Heath  was  educatetl  and  married 
in  Massachusetts.  He  followed  the  trade  of 
shoemaker  there,  and  for  a  short  time  in 
Randolph,  where  he  resided  with  the  family 
for  a  few  years.  He  then  located  on  a  farm 
in  Middlebury.  Addison  county,  \'t.,  where 
his  wife  died  in  1852,  and  he  in  1854  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight.  Their  children  were 
as  follows:  Charles  (deceased),  born  in 
1796,  married  to  Caroline  Chadwick,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children,  the  three  eldest 
being  named  Henry  C,  Benjamin  Franklin 
and  George;  for  his  second  wife  Charles  mar- 
ried Rosanna ,  by  whom  he  had 

four  sons:  James,  born  in  1798,  a  lumber- 
man on  the  St.  Lawrence,  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-seven;  Libbeus,  born  in  1800,  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Manito- 
woc county,  ^^'is. ,  where  he  died,  unmar- 
ried, in  1844.  Daniel,  born  in  1804,  was  a 
horse  dealer  in  \'ermont  and  New  Hamp- 
shire; he  married  Mary  Wadleigh  in  the  lat- 
ter State,  and  had  six  children,  the  four 
eldest  being  named  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Joseph 
and  Daniel.  Rebecca  J.,  born  in  1806, 
married  Charles  Pratt,  a  farmer  in  Fond  du 
Lac  county.  Wis.,  by  whom  she  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Emeline,  Norman  J.,  Albert, 
Celestine  (deceased),  Sarah  and  H.  Ellen. 
Maria,  born  in  1808,  was  twice  married,  her 
first  husband  being  Dickerman.a  lumberman, 
in  Middlebury,  \'t.,  her  second,  Sherman,  a 
farmer  near  Ft.  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.  Sarah, 
now  deceased,  became  the  wife  of  Eber 
Coggswell,  by  whom  she  had  five  children. 
Hiel  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Ann, 
born  in   18 14,  married  Kneeland  Olmstead, 


a  carriage  manufacturer,  by  whom  she  had 
six  children,  all  daughters.  Louisa,  now 
deceased,  born  in  1818,  was  the  wife  of 
Solomon  Thomas,  a  farmer  in  Addison 
county,  Vt.,  by  whom  she  had  four  children, 
all  daughters. 

Hiel  Heath  received  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  town,  attending 
school  three  months  in  the  year  until  he 
was  eighteen,  then,  in  the  winters,  until  he 
was  thirty  jears  of  age,  he  went  to  the 
woods  and  drew  logs  with  his  father's  team. 
In  1842  he  journeyed  to  Wisconsin,  going 
to  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  by  stage,  to  Buffalo  by 
canal,  and  by  the  way  of  the  lakes,  on  the 
steamer  "Great  Western,"  to  Milwaukee, 
arriving  in  May,  1842.  Sailing  from  there 
for  Manitowoc,  Manitowoc  county,  he  stop- 
ped at  Port  Huron,  the  captain  being 
obliged  to  attend  a  lawsuit  at  Green  Bay. 
Mr.  Heath  proceeded  on  foot  to  Sheboygan, 
where  his  vessel  met  him,  and  took  him  to 
Manitowoc.  He  was  accompanied  on  his 
journey  from  \'ermont  by  Hiram  Champlin, 
who  had  bought  a  half  interest  in  a  thou- 
sand-acre tract  of  timberland  and  in  a  saw- 
mill in  Manitowoc.  Mr.  Heath  had  only 
two  shillings  after  his  arrival,  engaged 
board  at  a  public  house,  and  requested  the 
landlord  to  trust  him  until  he  got  employ- 
ment. He  worked  for  Mr.  Champlin  over  a 
year.  Mr.  Heath's  brother  Libbeus,  who 
had  come  from  Vermont  to  work  for  Mr. 
Champlin,  was  taken  sick,  and  he  nursed 
him  for  seventy-two  dajs,  being  relieved  but 
five  nights  during  all  that  time.  His  brother 
died,  unmarried,  September  16,  1844,  aged 
forty-four  years  and  eight  days.  Mr.  Heath 
owned  and  drove  the  first  lumber  wagon  in 
Manitowoc. 

On  December  28,  1852,  in  \\'aterford, 
Racine  Co.,  Wis.,  Hiel  Heath  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Sarah  L.  Sheldon,  who 
was  born  in  1825  in  the  town  of  Madrid, 
St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  a  daughter  of 
Jonah  and  Sally  P.  Doane,  both  born  in 
Massachusetts  and  at  one  time  residents  of 
Vermont,  whence  the)"  removed  to  Madrid, 
N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jonah  Doane  had 
children  as  follows:  Norman  M.,  a  shoe- 
maker, who  died  in  Caldwell,  Racine  Co., 
Wis.,    April   24,    1893;   Mary,    who    is    the 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOOBAPEWAL   RECORD. 


171 


widow  of  William  Gilmore,  by  whom  she 
had  three  children — Charles  fnow  deceased, 
who  was  a  farmer  in  Madrid,  St.  Lawrence 
Co.,  N.  Y. ,  married  to  Ellen  Martin),  Clark 
W.  (with  whom  his  mother  is  now  living;  he 
is  now  an  attorne}'  in  Pipestone,  Minn.,  was 
formerly  a  school  teacher  in  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota;  he  married  Carrie  Mount,  now 
deceased,  by  whom  he  had  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living)  and  Emma  who 
was  a  school  teacher  in  Wisconsin,  and  is 
married  to  Samuel  Percy,  a  jeweler  in 
Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. ;  Azubah,  deceased; 
Sarah  L. ,  wife  of  Hiel  Heath;  and  Oliver,  a 
farmer  in  Vacoma,  Washington  Co.,  Ne- 
braska. 

Mr.  Heath  bought  120  acres  of  govern- 
ment land  in  the  town  of  Cato,  Manitowoc 
Co.,  Wis.,  in  1849,  made  a  clearing,  and  built 
a  rude  log  cabin,  into  which  he  moved  after 
his  marriage.  In  this  the  family  lived  some 
ten  years,  when  he  built  a  more  pretentious 
home.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiel 
Heath  are  as  follows:  Martha  E.,  born  in 
Cato  December  30,  1853,  died  in  infancy; 
Harriet  E.,  born  in  Cato  May  23,  1855, 
married  Charles  Simmons,  a  carpenter  in 
Caldwell,  Racine  Co.,  Wis.,  by  whom  she 
had  three  children — Earl,  Pearl  and  Carol; 
Angeline,  born  in  Cato  January  21,  1857, 
received  her  education  in  Cato,  taught 
school  for  four  years,  attended  the  Oshkosh 
Normal  School  for  three  months  in  the 
spring  of  1879,  taught  a  year  in  Beaver, 
Minn.,  has  taught  twelve  terms  in  Amherst, 
and  is  presiding  sister  of  the  Amherst  Social 
Temple  of  Honor,  being  an  indefatigable 
worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance;  Charles 
Henry,  a  farmer  in  Grand  Rapids,  Wood 
Co.,  Wis.,  married  Carrie  Norton,  of  Mc- 
Dill,  Wis.,  and  Oliver  Kyle,  born  in  Cato  in 
1 86 1,  attended  school  at  Cato  during  the 
winter  months  until  twenty  years  of  age, 
since  which  time  he  has  managed  the  home 
farm. 

In  April,  1883,  Hiel  Heath  disposed  of 
his  farm,  of  which  seventy-four  acres  were 
then  cleared,  and  he  had  a  beautiful  home 
and  good  outbuildings.  His  present  farm, 
consisting  of  a  quarter  of  Section  16,  he 
bought  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1883, 
since    which  time    he    has    remodeled    the 


house,    and,    with  the  assistance  of  his  son, 
made  great  improvements  on  the  farm. 

Mrs.  Hiel  Heath  passed  away  in  July, 
1894,  and  was  buried  in  Greenwood  cem- 
etery, Amherst.  Ill  health  had  for  some 
time  prevented  her  usual  active  participation 
in  Church  matters;  she  was  an  estimable 
lady,  an  excellent  wife,  a  good  and  kind 
mother.  Her  family  and  a  host  of  friends 
in  Cato  and  Amherst  deeply  mourn  her 
decease.  Mr.  Heath,  though  in  his  eighty- 
fourth  year,  enjoys  good  health,  and  is 
straight  as  an  arrow.  He  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, was  assessor  for  some  years  in 
Cato,  and  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
there  three  times,  but  would  not  accept  the 
office.  In  religious  affiliation  the  family  are 
Methodists. 

Oliver  K.  Heath,  the  son,  worked  in 
the  woods  in  the  winter  of  1884,  and  for  six 
consecutive  winters  afterward  was  employed 
with  team  in  taking  supplies  to  lumber 
camps.  Since  his  father  has  been  unable  to 
work  he  has  had  charge,  and  has  proved  a 
most  successful  farmer.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  political  matters,  and  is  a  strong 
advocate  of  temperance  and  the  Republican 
doctrine. 


JOHN  ELSEN.      In   the  career   of  this 
gentleman  we  find  an  excellent   exam- 
ple  for   young   men   just  embarking  in 
the  field  of  active  life,  of  what  may  be 
accomplished  by  a  man  beginning  poor,  but 
honest,  prudent  and  industrious. 

A  native  of  Wisconsin,  Mr.  Elsen  was 
born  July  25,  1858,  in  Kenosha,  a  son  of 
Adam  Elsen,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was 
one  of  a  family  of  sixteen  children,  five  of 
whom  are  yet  living,  the  eldest  being  eighty 
years  old.  In  December,  18 17,  in  the 
Province  of  Rhine,  the  father  was  born,  and 
there  wedded  Susan  Neises,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1823.  Seven  children  were  born 
of  this  marriage:  J.  Albert,  Peter  A.,  and 
John,  who  are  still  living;  one  who  died  in 
infancy;  Jacob  and  Mary,  who  have  also 
passed  away;  and  Mathias,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three.  The  father  came  alone 
to  America  about  the  year  1847,  first  being 
employed    as  foreman  on  a   canal  in  Ohio, 


172 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  in  1850  he  returned  to  the  Fatherland, 
the  following  year  bringing  his  wife  to  these 
shores.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  farming 
near  Kenosha,  Wis.,  but  later  sold  out  and 
opened  a  grocery  store  and  hotel  in  that 
city.  For  many  years  he  carried  these  on, 
though  later  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
butcher  shop;  he  was  also  employed  in  the 
lumber  woods.  His  death  occurred  in  Ke- 
nosha in  1886.  Mrs.  Elsen  still  makes  that 
place  her  home;  she  is  one  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children.  Her  father,  who  was  a 
farmer  of  Germany,  also  belonged  to  a 
large  family  numbering  fourteen  children, 
and  his  parents  were  also  agriculturists. 

In  the  public  and  parochial  Schools  of 
Kenosha,  Wis.,  John  Elsen  pursued  his 
studies  until  the  age  of  thirteen,  remaining 
under  the  parental  roof,  however,  until  he 
was  twent}' ,  giving  the  benefit  of  his  labors 
to  his  father.  At  that  time  he  went  to 
Kansas,  where  for  one  3ear  he  followed 
farming.  On  his  return  to  Kenosha,  he 
remained  there  only  t\\'0  months,  when  he 
moved  to  Racine,  Wis. ,  there  working  as  a 
molder  for  three  years,  which  trade  he  had 
previously  learned  in  his  native  city.  In 
18S2  he  arri\'ed  in  Merrill,  where  for  four 
\-ear3  he  was  employed  by  the  McCord  & 
Wright  Manufacturing  Company  in  their 
sash  and  blind  factory.  He  then  went  to 
work  for  A.  H.  Stange,  who  was  engaged 
in  the  same  line  of  business;  after  a  short  time 
he  was  made  foreman  of  the  works,  and, 
later,  assistant  superintendent.  In  January, 
1895,  when  the  A.  H.  Stange  Manufactur- 
ing Company  was  organized  he  was  made 
vice-president  and  now  holds  that  position; 
they  ha\'e  a  sa\\'mill,  and  are  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  It 
is  one  the  leading  firms  of  Merrill,  and  they 
are  now  doing  an  e.xcellent  business.  For 
two  years  our  subject  was  also  engaged  in 
the  hardware  trade;  he  has  dealt  in  real 
estate  to  some  extent. 

On  January  27,  1883,  at  Merrill,  Mr. 
Elsen  was  married  to  Miss  i\ugusta  Stange, 
daughter  of  Carl  and  Caroline  Stange,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  three  children 
—  two  spns  and  a  daughter — Albert  A., 
\\'illiam  P.  and  Helen  S.  In  politics  Mr. 
Elsen  is  independent,    desiring  to  cast  his 


vote  for  the  man  whom  he  thinks  best 
qualified  to  fill  the  office,  regardless  of  part}' 
ties.  For  two  years  he  has  ser\-ed  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Fifth  ward  of  Merrill  as  alder- 
man, and  one  year  on  the  county  board. 
He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  first  volun- 
teer fire  company  organized,  in  1887,  in 
Merrill,  and  has  since  been  actively  con- 
nected with  it,  having  been  foreman  several 
times.  At  present  he  is  president  of  the 
company,  and  with  the  exception  of  two 
years,  has  been  since  it  was  organized. 
He  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  first-class 
businessman,  reliable  and  energetic,  and  is  a 
citizen  of  whom  Merrill  may  be  justly  proud. 


EDWARD  AND  HENRY  O.  EVEN- 
SOX,  hardware  merchants  of  Tom- 
ahawk, Lincoln  county,  comprise 
the  firm  of  Evenson  Brothers,  and 
carry  on  the  leading  store  in  their  line  in 
that  city.  They  are  men  of  energy  and 
good  judgment,  finely  adapted  to  their 
present  business,  which  they  take  pride  in 
conducting  on  the  best  known  plans.  Their 
stock  is  of  the  best  grades,  and  they  thus 
enjoy  a  liberal  patronage. 

These  brothers  were  born  in  Waupaca 
county.  Wis.,  Edward  on  January  6,  1861, 
Henry  on  October  23,  1863.  Their  father, 
Harold  Evenson,  was  born  in  Norway,  in 
June,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Aaron  Evenson, 
also  a  native  of  the  same  country.  The 
grandfather  was  married  in  Norway  and  in 
his  family  were  Harold,  Halver,  Erick  and 
Ole,  who  accompanied  their  parents  to 
America  in  1845.  The  latter  both  died  in 
Dane  county.  Wis.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents with  their  children  also  came  to  the 
United  States  at  the  same  time.  Harold 
Evenson,  the  father,  married  Carrie  Helge- 
son,  in  Norwaj-,  in  1845,  and  they  imme- 
diatel}-  set  sail  for  the  New  World.  Locating 
near  Madison,  Wis.,  the  father  began  con- 
tracting on  the  railroad,  but  later  removed 
to  Waupaca  count}',  Wis. ,  where  he  pur- 
chased land  from  the  government,  and  there 
still  resides.  He  had  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  \\'isconsin:  Edwin  H., 
who  graduated  from  the  college  at  Decorah, 
Iowa,  and  the  university  at  Madison,  \\'is.. 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


173 


was  superintendent  of  schools  in  South 
Dakota,  and  professor  of  Greek  and  Latin 
in  the  State  Normal  there,  and  in  Milton 
College  of  Wisconsin,  but  now  lives  in 
Seattle,  Wash. ;  Edward  and  Henry  O. 
come  next  in  the  order  of  birth;  Clara  H.  is 
now  Mrs.  Frogner,  and  lives  in  lola.  Wis. ; 
Joseph  T.  comes  next;  four  children  died  in 
infancy;  Gustave  A.,  who  was  also  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  college  at  Decorah,  Iowa,  died  at 
the  age  of  twentj'-eight  years.  Politically, 
the  father  is  a  Republican  and  a  leader  in 
his  party  in  the  county  where  he  makes  his 
home.  He  has  held  many  public  offices  in 
his  town,  where  he  is  an  influential  and 
highly-esteemed  citizen,  and  the  fine  im- 
provements on  his  place  indicate  him  to  be 
a  progressive  aud  prosperous  farmer.  Edu- 
cational matters  have  always  received  his 
earnest  support,  and  he  has  given  his  chil- 
dren the  best  of  school  privileges.  He  is 
now  passing  his  declining  days  at  his  pleas- 
ant home  in  Scandinavia  township,  Wau- 
paca county. 

"The  brothers,  whose  names  stand  at  the 
beginning  of  this  sketch,  were  reared  upon 
the  home  farm,  their  childhood  days  being 
passed  in  attendance  at  the  country  schools, 
and  later  in  the  village  schools  of  lola. 
Wis.  Henry  also  became  a  pupil  in  the 
high  school  of  Waupaca,  Wis.,  after  which 
they  both  took  a  business  course  in  Milton 
College.  On  leaving  the  schoolroom  they 
assisted  their  father,  who  was  a  natural 
mechanic,  mason,  carpenter  and  painter, 
and  with  him  learned  those  trades,  but  soon 
started  out  in  life  for  themselves.  They  fol- 
lowed those  occupations  to  some  extent  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  four  years,  and  Henry 
also  clerked  in  a  hardware  store,  during 
which  time  he  partially  learned  the  trade  of 
a  tinner.  Edward  was  employed  in  the 
lumber  woods  during  the  winter  seasons,  and 
for  one  year  conducted  a  general  store  for 
T.  Thompson,  in  Tola,  Wis.  They  were 
very  saving  with  their  earnings,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1887,  with  their  combined  capital, 
Henry  built  and  opened  up  a  hardware  store 
in  Tomahawk,  under  the  name  of  Evenson 
Brothers,  and  Edward  who  was  clerking  at 
the  time  soon  gave  up  his  position  and  joined 
his  brother.      It  was  the  first  store  of  the 


kind  established  in  Tomahawk,  and  they 
have  since  continued  business  with  excellent 
success.  For  two  years  they  also  dealt  quite 
extensively  in  lumber  and  real  estate — both 
city  property  and  pine  lands. 

Henr\"  O.  Evenson  was  married  in  June, 
1 89 1,  to  Miss  Blanche  Spaulding  who  was 
born  in  Outagamie  county,  Wis.,  daughter 
of  James  and  Matilda  (Hulbert)  Spaulding, 
farming  people,  who  have  two  children, 
Charles  and  Blanche.  The  parents  are  both 
natives  of  Maine;  the  father  served  as  a 
soldier  during  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  was 
wounded.  The  Evenson  brothers  are  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  though  neither  of 
them  are  politicians,  Edward  was  prevailed 
upon  by  his  friends  to  accept  the  of^ce  of 
school  commissioner,  which  he  held  for  two 
years,  and  is  now  serving  on  the  county 
board,  being  elected  from  the  Third  ward. 
Religiously,  they  are  members  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church.  They  are  indus- 
trious, energetic  and  progressive  in  nature, 
and  are  highly  esteemed  and  respected  by 
all  who  know  them. 


SAMUEL  W.  SMITH,   the  genial  and 
courteous      "mine     host"      of     the 
"Denton     House,"     Eagle     River, 
\^ilas  county,  and  present  postmaster, 
was  born  April  16,  1850,  in  Marquette  coun- 
t)',  Wisconsin. 

Judge  A.  I).  Smith,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  New  York  State,  born  in 
1 81 3,  in  Ulster  county,  a  son  of  John 
Smith,  who  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Robert,  Doll,  Benjamin,  An- 
geline,  Susan,  Rachel  and  Abraham  D. 
The  parents  of  these  both  died  in  New 
York  State,  and  the  father  was  well  known 
as  a  great  lover  and  successful  breeder  of 
fast  horses.  Judge  A.  D.  Smith  was  a 
well-educated  man,  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
becoming  superintendent  on  the  construc- 
tion of  the  docks  and  locks  for  the  Lehigh 
Valley  waterway.  He  was  married,  in 
1834,  at  Wilkesbarre,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Pollie 
Bennett,  who  was  born  there  in  18 19;  she 
had  two  brothers:  Samuel  and  Josiah.  To 
Judge  and  Pollie  Smith  were  born  children 


174 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


as  follows:  Angelina  (Mrs.  L.  B.  Best), 
Susan  (Mrs.  O.  N.  Hillyer),  Addie  (Mrs. 
Henry  Douglass),  Rachel  (deceased),  Eliza 
and  Sarah  (both  deceased  in  infancy),  Jo- 
siah  B.,  Robert  N.  (deceased),  Samuel  W., 
Benjamin  F. ,  John  A.,  Clara  (Mrs.  Gal- 
braith),  and  Charlotte  O.  (Mrs.  McDonald), 
Judge  Smith  came  with  his  family  to  Wis- 
consin in  1846,  the  journey  from  Pennsyl- 
vania being  made  with  a  covered  wagon 
drawn  by  horses.  They  remained  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  two  years,  and 
then  established  a  homestead  near  Briggs- 
ville,  Marquette  county.  The  judge  owned 
some  300  acres  of  land,  partly  in  Marquette 
and  partly  in  Adams  county,  and  hereon  he 
died  in  July,  1890,  his  wife  following  him 
to  the  grave  in  iSgr.  He  was  a  loyal, 
patriotic  American,  but  would  never  accept 
public  office;  a  firm  temperance  man,  yet 
never  obstrusive  in  his  opinions  on  that  sub- 
ject, and  was  strong  in  his  likes  and  dis- 
likes, a  sincere  friend  and  a  generous  enemy. 
Samuel  W.  Smith,  the  subject  proper  of 
this  sketch,  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  edu- 
cated at  the  district  school,  remaining  at 
home  most  of  the  time  till  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old,  working  in  the  woods, 
winters.  After  his  marriage,  in  1873,  he 
commenced  for  his  own  account,  his  first 
venture  being  cranberry  raising,  and  for 
three  years  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits, 
after  which  he  commenced  lumbering  as  a 
jobber.  Taking  up  his  residence  at  Grand 
Rapids,  he  there,  with  the  exception  of  two 
years,  worked  a  farm.  For  six  years  he 
logged  for  the  Sherrj'  &  Cameron  Co.,  and, 
having  both  a  logging  and  railroad  outfit, 
filled  railroad  contracts  during  the  summer 
seasons.  In  1889  he  came  to  Eagle  River 
and  bought  his  present  property,  known  as 
the  "Denton  House,"  the  leading  hotel  in 
the  young  city,  which  he  has  considerably 
added  to  and  greatly  improved  since  assum- 
ing charge  of  it.  He  has  taken  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  the  building  up  of 
Eagle  River,  particularly,  also,  in  the 
organization  of  Vilas  county,  much  of  his 
time  being  spent  in  Madison  for  that  pur- 
pose. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Eagle  River 
by    President    Cleveland.      He    is  a  strong 


advocate  of  temperance,  and  a  useful,  popu- 
lar citizen. 

Samuel  W.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Walsh,  who  was  born  in  Quebec, 
Canada,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Bridget 
(Murphy)  Walsh,  both  of  whom  were  of 
Irish  nativity,  the  father  born  in  Athlone. 
They  were  married  in  Canada,  and  had 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Jennie,  Alice, 
Thomas,  William,  Patrick  and  James, 
living;  and  Mary  and  Sabina,  deceased,  the 
former  when  thirteen  years  old,  the  latter 
when  fifteen.  In  1868  the  family  came  to 
Wisconsin,  settling  at  Grand  Rapids,  Wood 
county,  whence,  in  1893,  the  father,  who 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  moved  to 
Eagle  River,  Vilas  county,  where  he  died 
December  4,  same  year;  his  widow  is  yet 
living.  John  Walsh  (father  of  Patrick 
Walsh),  an  only  child,  born  in  1789,  mar- 
ried Sabina  Finn,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children — three  sons  and  five  daughters.  In 
an  early  day  the  family  emigrated  to  Can- 
ada, moving  from  there  to  Wisconsin, 
where  John  Walsh,  the  father,  died  in 
April,  1874.  Mrs.  Bridget  Walsh,  mother 
of  Mrs.  S.  W.  Smith,  was  fifteen  years  old 
when  she  came  to  Canada  with  her  parents, 
who  both  died  there;  she  had  one  brother, 
Thomas  Murphy  (who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
British  army  twenty-one  years),  one  sister, 
Alice,  in  Australia,  and  another,  Mrs.  Mary- 
Crowe,  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.  Mrs.  Bridget 
(Murphy)  Walsh's  mother  was  a  Barry;  she 
had  two  brothers — Luke  and  Timothy — 
who  were  educated  for  the  Church,  and 
were  professors. 


FREDERICK  WILLIAM  BURT,  the 
popular  assistant  postmaster  at 
Grand  Rapids,  well  deserves  mention 
in  the  history  of  \\'ood  county.  From 
time  immemorable  it  has  been  the  custoni 
of  all  nations  to  extol  in  story  and  in  song 
the  gallant  deeds  in  time  of  war,  but  it  has 
been  left  to  civilized  nations  to  commemor- 
ate that  truer  manliness,  that  nobler  courage 
which  enables  one  to  live  uprighth'  and  deal 
justly,  seeking  no  preferment  or  approval 
save  that  of  the  Higher  power  and  their  own 
consciences.      Shall  a  soldier  hero  receive  a 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


175- 


greater  tribute  of  respect  than  one  who  sil- 
ently and  uncomplainingly  takes  up  his  bur- 
den and  fights  back  the  thousand  adverse 
fate,  that  seek  to  block  his  pathway  to  suc- 
cess? The  deeds  of  a  good  man  should  live 
after  him,  and  in  these  days  of  wide  dissemi- 
nation of  thought  and  doctrine,  the  transmis- 
sion of  the  story  from  the  father  to  the  son 
is  inadequate.  Only  through  written  record 
can  we  perpetuate  his  memory  and  extend 
his  influence,  making  life  an  example  for 
future  generations. 

Of  those  of  whom  it  is  said  that  the 
world  is  better  for  his  having  lived  is  Mr. 
Burt.  He  was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
April  24,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
Hubbard  and  Elizabeth  M.  (Jones)  Burt, 
both  natives  of  New  Jersey.  The  father,  a 
shoemaker  by  trade,  died  of  cholera  in  1833, 
in  New  York  City,  directly  opposite  the  resi- 
dence of  his  sister.  He  had  gone  thither  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  stock  for  his  busi- 
ness. Three  years  later,  in  1836,  the  mother 
and  three  of  her  children  removed  to  St. 
Catharines,  Canada,  and  there  they  resided 
until  Frederick  was  ten  years  of  age.  In 
the  meantime  his  mother  married  again  and 
then  removed  to  Short  Hills,  about  eight 
miles  from  St.  Catharines,  where  our  subject 
remained  until  1850. 

Mr.  Burt  was  educated  in  a  private 
school  at  St.  Catharines,  spent  one  term  in 
a  district  school  in  New  York,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  farming,  also  learning  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  He  continued  in  Canada  until 
1850,  when  he  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating 
first  in  Dane  county,  where  he  carried  on 
agricultural  pursuits.  Later  he  removed  to 
Portage  county,  but  after  a  few  months, 
in  the  fall  of  1855,  he  removed  to  Grand 
Rapids.  Here  he  worked  at  carpentering 
until  August,  1 86 1,  when  he  went  into  the 
harvest  fields.  In  September,  same  year, 
he  enlisted  at  Grand  Rapids  in  Company  G, 
Seventh  Wis.  V.  I.,  and  was  discharged 
March  28,  1862,  on  account  of  illness  con- 
tracted in  the  service.  He  at  once  returned 
to  his  home,  and  upon  his  recovery  obtained 
a  position  in  the  post  office  as  assistant  post- 
master, serving  until  1870,  and  also  acting 
as  clerk  in  a  general  store.  In  1869  he  was 
elected    clerk   of   the    circuit    court,    which 


position  he  filled  six  years;  in  January,  1875, 
he  again  became  assistant  postmaster,  and- 
had  charge  of  the  office  until  1890,  when  he 
was  elected  postmaster,  serving  until  Janu- 
ary, 1894.  He  was  then  succeeded  by  E. 
B.  Brundage,  with  whom  he  has  since- 
served  as  assistant. 

Mr.  Burt  was  married  in  Portage  City, 
Wis.,  June  17,  1855,  to  Miss  Celeste  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Calista  (Sampson)' 
Jessey,  natives  of  Vermont.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  them:  Jessie  Eva,  wife  of 
George  Brampton,  a  resident  of  Hartford, 
Conn.;  Fredericka  W. ,  who  died  at  the  age- 
of  two  years;  Harry  Andrew,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Rhinelander,  W'is.,  and  is  employed 
as  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  Flanner 
Lumber  Company;  Frederick  W.,  who  is 
living  in  Wausau,  Wis. ;  Walter  Edwin, 
manager  of  the  yard  and  purchasing  agent 
for  the  Flanner  Lumber  Company  of  Rhine- 
lander,  Wis. ;  William,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Green  Bay,  Wis. ;  and  Carson  Otto,  living 
with  his  father  in  Grand  Rapids. 

The  worth  and  ability  of  Mr.  Burt  have 
been  recognized  by  his  fellow  townsmen  who- 
have  called  him  to  office;  in  1855  and  1856 
he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  has 
also  filled  the  position  of  town  clerk.  He 
takes  considerable  interest  in  civic  societies, 
and  is  a  member  of  Grand  Rapids  Lodge, 
No.  128,  F.  &  A.  M.;  Forest  Chapter,  No. 
34,  R.  A.  M.  of  Stevens  Point,  Wis. ;  and 
of  Grand  Rapids  Lodge,  No.  91,  I.  O.  O.  F. ; 
also  of  Shaurett  Encampment  of  the  same 
fraternity.  For  a  half  century  he  has 
been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church — his  life  being  in  harmony  with  his 
professions  and  true  to  his  convictions  of 
right  and  wrong.  In  his  political  views  he 
is  a  stalwart  Republican,  is  a  public-spirited 
and  progressive  citizen,  enjoying  the  high 
regard  of  all  who  know  him. 


PATRICK    SULLIVAN,    one    of  the 
representative     farmers    of    Lanark 
township.  Portage  county,  was  born 
May   31,    1^58,    in    Hull    township, 
same  county,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Bridget 
(Touhey)  Sullivan,  natives  of   County  Cork^ 
Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1849. 


176 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Jeremiah  Sullivan  was  a  poor  man,  and 
made  his  living  by  day's  labor,  for  a  number 
of  years  working  on  railroads.  In  1857  he 
came  to  Portage  county,  and  in  Hull  town- 
ship, homesteaded  a  farm,  there  remaining 
until  his  death  January  15,  1862,  which  re- 
sulted from  an  accident.  His  children  were 
as  follows:  Margaret,  who  married  John 
Hopkins,  and  died  in  Lanark  township; 
Ellen,  a  maiden  lady;  Patrick,  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Catherine,  now  Mrs.  Edward 
Cooney,  of  Lanark  township;  and  Daniel, 
a  farmer,  also  of  Lanark  township.  After 
the  father's  death  the  widow  and  her  chil- 
dren became  members  of  the  family  of 
Patrick  Leary,  whose  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  Sullivan.  Through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Leary  the  Sullivans  remained  with  him 
until  they  had  grown  up,  and  were  able  to 
provide  for  themselves.  Mrs.  Sullivan  now 
resides  with  her  son  Patrick. 

Our  subject  received  a  fair  education  in 
his  boyhood  days,  but  schools  were  not  very 
numerous  in  those  pioneer  times,  and  he 
often  had  to  walk  from  two  and  a  half  to 
three  miles  to  school.  He  was  reared  a 
farmer's  boy  in  the  new  country,  at  the  age 
of  ten  years  removing  to  Lanark  township 
with  his  foster  parents,  who  settled  in  Sec- 
tion 16,  which  at  that  time  was  all  forest, 
their  first  house  being  a  board  shanty.  As 
soon  as  Mr.  Sullivan  was  old  enough  he 
went  to  work  on  the  farm,  and  has  success- 
fully followed  agriculture  ever  since.  He 
was  married,  November  22,  1888,  in  Buena 
Vista  township,  Portage  county,  to  Miss 
Alice  O'Connell,  born  in  that  township 
January  5,  1868,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  (Tracy)  O'Connell.  After  marriage 
they  began  housekeeping  on  the  farm  which 
they  have  ever  since  occupied.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sullivan  were  as 
follows:  Mary,  Daniel  J.  (deceased),  Pat- 
rick J.,  Alice,  and  Agnes.  Politically  Mr. 
Sullivan  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  has 
served  as  supervisor  and  as  school  treasurer 
in  District  K'o.  7  five  years.  In  1893  he 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  township,  the 
yoimgest  man  who  has  ever  filled  that  office 
in  Lanark  township.  Though  his  own  edu- 
cational opportunities  were  meagre,  he  is 
an    earnest    friend    to    the    cause    of    edu- 


cation, and  a  strong  advocate  for  better 
schools.  While  chairman  he  voted  for 
the  erection  of  a  Normal  School,  but  this 
display  of  enterprise  and  public  spirit  seems 
to  have  been  somewhat  in  advance  of  the 
times,  for  certain  voters  of  a  non-progressive 
nature  combined  to  defeat  him  at  the  next . 
election.  Mr.  Sullivan  and  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is 
an  excellent  farmer,  and  one  of  the  best 
known  young  citizens  in  the  township. 


DAVID  D.  TARR,  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  honored  New  England 
families  who  for  generations  have 
made  their  home  in  Maine,  ;vas  born 
in  Salem,  that  State,  in  May,  1839.  His 
father,  Mark  P.  Tarr,  also  a  native  of 
Maine,  married  Sophrona  P.  Merchant,  who 
was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  three  children — Hiram  P., 
Mary  E.  and  David  D.  The  father,  who 
was  a  farmer  and  lumberman,  died  in  the 
Pine  Tree  State  in  1889,  where  his  wife  had 
passed  away  two  years  previously.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  John  Tarr,  lived  all  his 
life  in  Maine,  and  by  his  marriage  became 
the  father  of  eight  children — John,  Abraham. 
William,  Rufus,  Abigial,  May,  Harriet  and 
Mark  P. 

David  D.  Tarr,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  educated  in  the  high  school,  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  had  attained  his 
majorit}'.  In  May,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Companj^  C,  Second  Maine  V.  I.,  becoming 
corporal,  serving  three  months,  during 
which  time  he  participated  in  the  first  battle 
of  Bull  Run.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  re- 
enlisted  for  two  jears,  remaining  in  the  ser- 
vice until  the  spring  of  1863,  as  a  member  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  in  the 
siege  of  Yorktown  and  Hanover  Court 
House,  and  in  the  Chickahominy  Swamps 
he  was  taken  sick,  on  which  account  he 
was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  York,  Penn., 
from  which  in  time  he  was  discharged,  but 
after  returning  home  he  did  not  recover  his 
health  for  over  a  year.  P'or  a  time  Mr. 
Tarr  was  employed  in  a  mill,  after  which 
he  made  a  trip  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  for  his 
health,  and,  in   1868,  went  to  Minneapolis, 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


177 


Minn.,  where  for  a  year  he  clerked  in  a 
hotel.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
Big  Rapids,  Mich.,  being  in  the  employ  of 

0.  P.  Pillsburj-  &  Co.,  remaining  there  ten 
years,  serving  in  different  capacities,  includ- 
ing the  positions  of  scaler,  foreman  and, 
later,  as  superintendent  of  their  upper 
river  branch.  He  also  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  in  Stanwood  and  Hersey, 
Mich.,  and  on  selling  out  that  business  re- 
turned to  Maine,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  In  May,  1884,  he  came  to  Wiscon- 
sin, in  the  employ  of  the  Merrill  Boom 
Compan}-,  which  belonged  to  the  Milwau- 
kee &  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company.  O.  P. 
Pillsbury  sent  for  Mr.  Tarr  to  come  to 
Merrill  and  accept  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  Merrill  Boom,  in  which  capacity 
he  still  continues  to  serve,  being  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  his  employers.  This 
company  employs  about  eighty  men,  and 
handles  as  high  as  one  hundred  forty  million 
feet  of  lumber  for  Merrill,  and  one  hundred 
million  for  parties  down  the  river. 

On  September  16,  1880,  Mr.  Tarr 
wedded  Sarah  Jane  Palmer,  who  was  born 
in  Nobleboro,  Maine,  October  10,  1845,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Elisha  R.  and  Sarah  (Dun- 
bar) Palmer,  who  had  eight  children:  Hal- 
sey  H.,  Arlinda  R.,  Bertha  A.,  Orlando  A., 
Gulinglus  C,  Sarah  J.,  Byron  W.  and  San- 
ford  K.  The  parents  were  natives  of  Maine, 
where  the  father  was  employed  as  a  ship- 
builder and  carpenter  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  November  10,  1868;  the  mother 
now  makes  her  home  with  Mr.  Tarr.  She  is 
of  Scotch  lineage,  being  a  direct  descendant 
of  Earl  George  Dunbar,  who  on  the  occasion 
of  his  marriage  was  knighted  by  King  James 

1.  For  a  time  he  stood  very  high  in  the 
King's  favor,  but  in  March,  1425,  he  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned  on  suspicion,  his 
estates  being  confiscated  to  the  Crown. 
The  Dunbar  family  occupies  a  conspicuous 
place  all  through  Scottish  history.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Tarr  were  born,  June  18,  1882, 
twins:  Arthur  Jay  and  Alta  May.  Our 
subject  takes  a  warm  interest  in  public 
affairs,  and  uniformly  casts  his  vote  with  the 
Republican  party.  For  three  years  he 
served  as  postmaster  at  Stanwood.  Socially 
he  is  identified   with  several  civic  societies, 


belonging  to  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  is 
a  Knight  Templar,  and  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  He  is  frank  and  open  in  the 
expression  of  his  opinions,  and  has  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  all. 


M 


RS.  MARY  BYRNES,  of  Grand 
Rapids,  is  a  native  of  the  Em- 
erald Isle,  born  in  County  Down, 
February  15,  1836,  a  daughter  of 
Felix  and  Mary  (Hale)  Magenity,  who  were 
also  natives  of  County  Down,  where  they 
spent  their  entire  lives. 

Their  family  consisted  of  seven  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  still  survive,  and  of 
these  Mrs.  Byrnes  is  the  eldest.  The  others 
still  living  are  Ale.xander,  who  is  serving  as 
inspector  of  customs  in  New  York  City; 
Alice,  wife  of  William  Mead,  a  resident  of 
Belturbet,  County  Cavan,  Ireland;  and 
John,  who  is  still  living  in  County  Down. 
One  of  her  brothers,  James,  was  drowned 
in  the  Columbia  river,  Oregon;  another 
brother,  Thomas,  was  a  civil  engineer  in 
the  employ  of  the  British  government,  be- 
came a  captain  in  the  "Gordon  Highland- 
ers," and  with  his  command  took  part  in 
the  Crimean  war,  his  death  occurring  at 
Bombay,  India,  while  in  the  service.  Re- 
ligiously this  family  were  all  connected  with 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  parents 
both  died  in  Ireland. 

The  lady,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  spent  her  maidenhood  days  in  her 
parents'  home  in  the  land  of  her  nativity, 
and  after  she  had  reached  womanhood 
she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Edward 
Byrnes,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  in 
1855,  and  the  same  year  they  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  America.  Mr.  Byrnes  was  also 
a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland,  born 
November,  i,  1825,  a  son  of  Bernard  and 
Margaret  (Byrnes)  Byrnes.  His  childhood 
was  similar  to  that  of  most  farmer  lads  of 
his  time,  and  the  educational  privileges 
which  he  received  where  those  afforded  by 
the  public  schools.  He  was  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children,  and  with  five  others 
he  has  passed  to  the  life  eternal.  Those  still 
living  at  this  writing  (the  early  part  of  1895) 
are  Elizabeth,    wife  of  Timothy    Hurley,  a 


178 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGBAPBICAL   RECORD. 


resident  of  Centralia,  Wis. ;  Thomas,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Grand  Rapids;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  John  Quirk,  who  is  located  in 
Saratoga,  Wood  Co.,  Wis.;  Rose  and  Mary 
Ann,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  inlreland. 

The  wedding  tour  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Byrnes  consisted  of  an  ocean  voyage — a  trip 
across  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States 
in  search  of  a  new  home.  They  at  once 
came  to  Wisconsin,  locating  first  in  Osh- 
kosh,  but  after  a  few-months'  residence  there 
they  came  to  Grand  Rapids,  where  Mr. 
Byrnes  continued  until  his  death.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  place,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  its  development,  being 
prominently  identified  with  its  upbuilding. 
For  a  few  years  after  his  arrival  here  he  engag- 
ed in  lumbering,  but  in  later  years  he  turned 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  which 
he  successfully  carried  on  throughout  his  re- 
maining days,  being  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  farmers  of  the  neighborhood. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Byrnes  nine 
children  were  born  as  follows:  James,  born 
March  4,  1856,  was  drowned  May  31,  1864, 
in  the  Wisconsin  river;  Edward  A.,  born 
August  II.  1858,  now  makes  his  home  in 
Merrill,  \\'is. ;  George  Andrew,  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  i860,  died  August  27,  1862; 
Mary  Alice,  born  May  16,  1862,  is  now  the 
wife  of  John  Corbett,  a  resident  of  Glidden, 
Ashland  Co.,  Wis.;  William  James,  born 
September  17,  1864,  was  drowned  in 
Grandfather  Falls,  Wisconsin  river.  May 
10,  1895;  Margaret  Theresa,  born  Decem- 
ber 14,  1866,  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of 
Morse,  Wis. ;  Andrew  Eugene,  born  May 
16,  1869,  is  living  in  Merrill;  Rose  Ellen, 
born  June  9,  1873,  is  now  successfully  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of 
Lincoln  county.  Wis. ;  and  Martha  Eliza- 
beth, born  September  i,  1875,  is  also  a 
school  teacher  of  recognized  ability. 

Mr.  Byrnes  was  a  man  of  sterling  qual- 
ities, commanding  the  respect  and  admira- 
tion of  all  who  knew  him,  as  one  of  the  use- 
ful, honorable  and  public-spirited  men  of 
the  community.  He  passed  peacefully 
away  October  19.  1891,  leaving  a  widow 
and  seven  children  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a 
loving  husband  and  a  kind  and  indulgent 
father. 


EDWARD  T.  BODETTE,  a  practical 
shoemaker,  and   an  old   and  univer- 
sally   respected    citizen     of     Grand 
Rapids,  Wood  county,  was  born  at 
Three  Rivers,  in  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
Canada,  November  9,  1846. 

He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  and  Amelia  Bo- 
dette,  also  natives  of  Canada,  who  left  that 
country  for  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  both  dying  in 
Churchville,  a  village  about  fourteen  miles 
from  that  city.  Their  family  numbered  five 
children,  of  whom  we  give  brief  mention  as 
follows  :  Agnes,  now  the  wife  of  John 
Spitzmerser,  is  a  resident  of  Churchville, 
N.  Y. ;  Nelson  is  also  living  in  that  place;  Ed- 
ward T.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Elijah 
is  living  in  Churchville;  Mary,  now  the  wife 
of  William  Faily,  is  located  at  South  Byron, 
New  York. 

When  a  year  old,  Edward  T.  Bodette 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  the  Empire 
State,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  their 
home,  while  in  the  common  schools  of 
Churchville  he  obtained  a  fair  knowledge  of 
the  common  English  branches  of  learning. 
On  making  choice  of  an  occupation  which 
he  wished  to  follow  for  a  livelihood,  he  de- 
termined upon  shoe  making,  a  trade  he 
learned  and  has  followed  throughout  his  en- 
tire life.  In  the  spring  of  1857,  when  a 
youth  of  eleven  years,  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Grand  Rapids,  Wis. ;  but  they 
were  not  favorably  impressed  with  this  coun- 
try, which  was  then  a  wild  and  undeveloped 
region,  and  after  a  six-months'  residence 
here  returned  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Mr. 
Bodette,  however,  again  sought  a  home  here 
in  1869.  This  time  he  came  alone,  and 
seeing  a  good  opening  for  a  shoemaker,  he 
decided  to  remain,  and  established  a  shop 
which  he  has  sirjce  conducted.  His  ex- 
cellent workmanship,  his  pleasant  and  genial 
manner,  and  his  efforts  to  please  his  cus- 
tomers, soon  brought  him  a  liberal  patron- 
age, which  increased  as  the  town  became 
more  thickly  settled,  and  he  has  done  a 
good  business.  Indolence  is  not  found  in 
his  nature,  and  idleness  forms  no  part  of  his 
composition.  He  has  led  a  busy  and  useful 
life,  and  has  won  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  business  or  social  relations 
have  brought  him  in  contact.      Mr.  Bodette 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


179 


exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  Repubhcan 
party,  and  in  rehgious  faith  he  and  his  family 
hold  membership  with  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 

In  November,  1873,  our  subject  married 
Miss  Bertha  Zeaman,  a  daughter  of  Louis 
and  Mary  Zeaman,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Germany,  but  are  now  residents  of 
Sigel  township,  Wood  Co.,  Wis.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bodette  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  yet  living,  as  follows: 
Joseph  Edward,  Francis  Nelson,  William 
Arthur,  Edward,  George  and  Mabel  Amelia. 


M 


ART.  HIRZEL,  a  prosperous  and 

representative    business    man     of 

Vilas  county,  is  a  native  of  New 

York  State,  born   in  Erie  county, 

March  26,   1864,  of  German  descent. 

Grandfather  Hirzel  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  where  he  married  and  whence  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  an 
early  day  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was 
proprietor  of  a  meat  market.  This  honored 
pioneer  couple  had  five  children,  named 
respectively:  George,  Fred,  Martin,  David 
and  Sarah.  The  parents  of  these  and  also 
their  son  George  subsequently  returned  to 
Germany,  and  there  died.  Another  son, 
David,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  at 
Williamsville,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1834, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  stock  man  in  the 
Buffalo  (N.  Y.)  stock  yards.  He  there 
married  Mary  Sturt,  who  was  born,  in  1836, 
in  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  of  German  parents, 
who  emigrated  to  this  country  shortly  after 
their  marriage,  and  died  in  Philadelphia  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Martin,  Godfrey 
and  Mary.  To  David  and  Mary  Hirzel 
were  born  ten  children,  named  respectively: 
Mary,  David,  Emma,  Godfrey,  Martin, 
Albert,  Alvin,  William,  Ella  and  Emil.  Mr. 
Hirzel,  in  1874,  left  Buffalo,  and  made  his 
last  earthly  home  on  a  fruit  farm  at  Will- 
iamsville, N.  Y. ,  where  he  passed  the  rest 
of  his  days,  dying  in  1883.  The  widowed 
mother  sold  this  farm  in  1893,  and  now 
lives  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Schaffer,  at 
Clare,  Mich.    David   Hirzel's  brother,  Fred, 


died  at  Yorkshire,  Cattaraugus  Co.,  N.  Y. , 
and  the  other  brother,  Martin,  lives  at 
Whitehouse,  Ohio,    with  the  sister,    Sarah. 

Mart.  Hirzel,  the  subject  proper  of  these 
lines,  received  his  education  at  an  academy 
at  Williamsville,  both  in  English  and  Ger- 
man. When  seventeen  years  old  he  moved 
west  to  Michigan  and  worked  in  the  woods, 
lumbering,  until  coming  to  Eagle  River, 
August  28,  1885,  where  during  the  first 
summer  he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill — in 
the  winter  in  the  woods,  and  in  the  spring  on 
the  ••drive."  In  the  spring  of  1888  he  em- 
barked in  his  present  wholesale  and  retail 
coal,  wood,  ice,  lime,  brick,  hair  and 
cement  business,  in  addition  to  which  he  is 
also  agent  for  the  Pabst  Brewing  Co.  of 
Milwaukee. 

On  July  22,  1 891,  Mr.  Hirzel  was  mar- 
ried, at  Eagle  River,  to  Miss  Rosa  B.  Allen, 
who  was  born  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  August  18, 
1 87 1,  daughter  of  Perry  C.  and  Fannie 
fWisej  Allen,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
were  the  parents  of  three  daugfiters:  Lettie, 
Rosa  B.,  and  Hattie.  The  mother  of  these 
now  lives  at  Eagle  River.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hirzel  have  no  children.  They  have  an 
elegant  and  attractive  home  in  Eagle  River, 
in  addition  to  which  our  subject  owns  other 
cit3'  property,  besides  land  in  another  part 
of  the  county.  In  his  political  predilections 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has  served  his  city 
as  supervisor  and  as  superintendent  of  the 
water  works.  Socially,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Lodge  No.  109,  Eagle 
River,  of  which  he  is  recording  secretary. 
As  a  typical  self-made  man,  one  who  has, 
unaided,  "  hoed  his  own  row,"  Mr.  Hirzel 
stands  conspicuously  in  the  front  rank  of 
the  successful  ones. 


JOHN  AND  JAMES  RICE,  members  of 
the  well-known  firm  of  John  Rice  & 
Brother  Co. ,  proprietors  of  foundry  and 
machine  shops,  etc. ,  and  dealers  in 
coal,  agricultural  implements,  etc.,  Stevens 
Point,  Portage  county,  rank  among  the 
most  enterprising  and  progressive  business 
men  of  the  Northern  Wisconsin  Valley. 

They  are  natives  of   County  Louth,  Ire- 
land, born,    John    in    1838,    and    James    in 


I  So 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1843.  James  Rice,  their  father,  born 
April  15,  181 1,  came  to  America  in  1842, 
when  John  and  James  were  small  boys,  the 
family  first  locating  at  Geneva,  N.  Y. , 
thence  proceeding  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and 
from  there  to  Nekimi,  Winnebago  county, 
where  the  father  carried  on  farming  pur- 
suits, and  was  also  engaged  in  railroad 
work  as  foreman.  He  was  "boss"  of  a 
large  gang  of  men  employed  on  the  con- 
struction of  the  "Darlington  railroad,"  and 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  efficient 
foremen  or  superintendents  in  that  line  of 
work  in  the  State.  He  subsequently  moved 
to  Eden  township.  Fond  du  Lac  county, 
about  eleven  miles  from  the  city  of  Fond 
du  Lac,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  moving  to  Oshkosh,  in 
which  place  he  was  employed  in  Campbell's 
shingle  mill.  From  there  he  ne.xt  removed 
to  Seymour,  Outagamie  county,  and  here 
bought  a  farm  of  fully  200  acres  where  he 
lived  until  February  15,  1884,  the  day  of 
his  death,  which  was  caused  by  an  accident. 
He  was  returning  from  a  visit  to  the  village 
of  Seymour,  two  miles  distant,  was  walk- 
ing along  the  track,  and  being  muffled  up, 
and,  moreover,  somewhat  deaf,  being 
seventy-three  years  old,  did  not  hear  the 
approaching  train,  which  struck  him,  pro- 
ducing such  injuries  that  he  died  nine  days 
after,  retaining  consciousness  to  the  last. 

The  brothers  were  reared  on  the  farm, 
John  after  a  time  learning  the  trade  of  car- 
penter, while  James  continued  working  on 
the  homestead,  also  engaging  in  getting  out 
logs  by  contract,  each  thus  continuing  for 
some  years.  John  went  to  the  gold  fields 
"out  West,"  and  for  seven  or  eight  years 
met  with  remarkable  success,  having  struck 
one  of  the  richest  and  most  productive  fields 
in  the  entire  "diggings."  On  his  return  he 
engaged  in  the  sawmilling  business  in  Oconto, 
becoming  in  course  of  a  short  time  a  partner 
in  the  industry,  the  firm  name  being  Amy, 
Rice  &  Fitzgerald,  which  continued  some 
four  or  five  years,  when  Mr.  Rice  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Oshkosh,  becoming  interested 
in  the  tanner}'  business  in  partnership  with 
Mr.  Reuben  Dowd,  under  the  firm  style  of 
Dowd  &  Rice.  His  next  enterprise  was  in 
the  Wolf  River  Transportation  Co.,  of  which 


he  became  part  owner;  then  in  partnership 
with  Reuben  Dowd  he  embarked  in  the  log- 
ging business  on  Wolf  river,  James  Rice 
acting  as  their  foreman,  this  industry  con- 
tinuing until  1S72,  in  which  year  John  and 
James  Rice  entered  into  partnership  in  the 
establishment  of  a  foundr}'  and  machine 
business  in  Weyauwega,  Waupaca  Co. ,  \\' is. , 
and  after  five  years,  in  1877,  they  located  a 
branch  business  at  Stevens  Point  (South 
Side),  Portage  county,  where  is  now  the 
John  Week  planing-mill,  in  1880  removing 
their  entire  plant  to  thir  present  site  on  Clark 
street,  Stevens  Point,  which  has  since  been 
carried  on  successfully  under  the  firm  name 
of  John  Rice  &  Brother  Co.,  with  John  Rice 
as  president  and  James  Rice  as  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  manager.  They  do  a  large 
business  all  around,  giving  employment  in 
the  foundry  and  machine  shops  alone  to 
some  twenty  hands  when  running  their  full 
capacity.  Among  the  leading  articles  turned 
out  by  the  firm  may  be  mentioned  edgers, 
trimmers,  bolters,  pulleys,  rope-feeds  and 
and  sawmill  carriages  and  machinery  gener- 
ally; also  engines,  boilers,  all  kinds  of  en- 
gine brasses,  etc.,  in  fact,  everything  con- 
nected with  mills  and  mill  machinery  in  gen- 
eral. The  brothers  also  operated  a  sawmill 
in  Bayfield  countj-,  W'is. ,  at  Benoit,  on  the 
Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha 
railroad,  commencing  business  December  3, 
1889,  and  conducting  same  until  July  4, 
1892,  when  it  burned  down.  The  firm  was 
known  as  the  Benoit  Lumber  Co.,  of  which 
James  Rice  was  president  and  John  Rice 
secretary  and  treasurer.  They  still  own 
320  acres  of  land  in  that  vicinity.  At  the 
time  of  the  construction  of  the  Wisconsin 
Central  railroad  they  took  a  large  contract, 
which  included  the  piling  and  bridging  at 
Gill's  Landing,  across  the  W^)lf  river  and 
adjoining  bayous. 

John  Rice  was  married  September  14, 
1869,  to  Miss  Elvira  Jones,  a  lady  of  Welsh 
descent,  and  three  children  were  born  to 
them,  namely:  Ellen,  Ada  and  Margery, 
the  last  named  beiivg  deceased,  having  been 
suffocated  to  death  at  the  burning  of  the 
Sisters'  school  at  Lake  Villa,  near  Madison, 
Wis.,  in  1893.  John  Rice  served  as  chief 
of  Stevens  Point  Fire  Department,  and  was 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


l8i 


a  member  of  the  county  board  of  Portage 
county. 

James  Rice  was  married  at  New  London, 
Wis.,  January  i,  1872,  to  Miss  Helen  Jane 
Micklejohn,  and  four  children  were  born  to 
them,  as  follows:  Theodore  James,  a  fire- 
man on  the  "Soo"  railroad,  who  one 
stormy,  sleety  trip,  November  25,  1892, 
fell  (how  was  never  known)  a  distance  of 
65  feet  from  his  engine  at  Marine  Sation, 
Madison  Co.,  Minn.,  and  was  instantly 
killed;  John  Francis,  now  studying  law; 
Earl  M.,  and  Hazel  May,  both  attending 
school. 

In  political  proclivities  the  brothers  are 
both  Democrats,  with  liberal  and  independ- 
ent tendencies,  never  aspiring  to  office,  and 
they  were  both  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  They  are  en- 
terprising in  the  true  sense  of  the  term, 
and  have  deservedly  prospered,  have  done 
much  toward  the  improvement  of  the  city 
of  their  adoption,  and  at  the  present  time, 
1895,  are  interested  in  the  Stevens  Point 
Land  Improvement  Company,  and  hold 
stock  in  the  District  Fair  Association, 
toward  which  they  liberally  subscribed. 
James  Rice  was  chief  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment in  1 891;  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Citizens  National  Bank,  Stevens  Point. 


WP.  NICHOLS,  the  well-known  and 
popular  treasurer  of  Dupont  town- 
ship, Waupaca  county,  claims 
Ireland  as  the  land  of  his  nativity. 
He  was  born  January  24,  1847,  ^nd  is  a 
son  of  Patrick  and  Johanna  (Griffin) 
Nichols,  who  were  natives  of  County  Lim- 
erick, Ireland.  There  the  father  spent  his 
entire  life,  his  death  occurring  in  that 
county  in  185 i. 

In  1853  the  mother  brought  her  family 
to  America,  locating  first  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y. , 
from  there  going  to  Carlisle  township, 
Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1858.  Five  years 
later  she  came  to  Dupont  township,  Wau- 
paca county,  and  the  Nichols  were  the 
tenth  family  within  its  borders.  Here  the 
mother  spent  her  remaining  days,  being 
called  to  the  home  beyond  February  9, 
1885,    leaving   two   sons,  W.  P.  and  Daniel 


J.,  both  farmers  of  Dupont  township. 
These  boys  accompanied  their  mother  on 
her  various  removals,  and  the  first  named 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Lorain  county,  Ohio,  where  he  first  en- 
gaged in  business  for_  himself,  as  a  farm 
hand.  Subsequently  he  followed  teaming 
in  Cleveland,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  became  a  resident  of  Dupont  town- 
ship, \\'aupaca  county,  where  he  aided  in 
clearing  the  home  farm.  He  also  worked 
in  the  lumber  woods  on  Pigeon  river,  and 
in  those  early  dajs  became  familiar  with  all 
the  experiences  and  hardships  of  frontier 
life. 

In  New  London,  Wis.,  April  9,  1871,. 
was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Nichols 
and  Miss  Fannie  Ruddy,  who  was  born 
in  Grafton  township,  Ozaukee  Co.,  Wis., 
daughter  of  John  and  Bridget  (Conniff) 
Ruddy,  pioneers  of  that  county  and  natives 
of  the  Emerald  Isle.  Her  father  came  to 
this  state  a  single  man,  and  here  met, 
wooed  and  won  his  estimable  wife.  For 
some  years  he  was  engaged  in  work  on  the 
river,  running  boats  between  New  London 
and  Oshkosh,  and  to  Berlin.  He  afterward 
turned  his  attention  to  farming,  locating  a 
tract  of  wild  land  on  Bear  creek,  Waupaca 
county,  where  he  cleared  and  opened  up  a 
farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  passed  away  February  20,  1883,  and 
his  widow,  who  still  survives  him.  is  }'et  liv- 
ing on  the  old  homestead.  They  reared  a 
family  of  children  as  follows:  Mrs.  Nichols; 
William,  a  resident  of  Grant  township, 
Shawano  Co.,  Wis.;  Charles,  who  is  living 
in  Idaho;  James  Fairbanks,  also  of  Sha- 
wano county;  Mrs.  C.  E.  Beedle,  of  Clinton- 
ville.  Wis. ;  Mrs.  Landon,  of  Minneapolis, 
Minn. ;  and  Louis,  at  home.  In  1871,  Mr. 
Nichols  located  on  his  present  farm,  on 
which  not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  or  an 
improvement  made.  He  built  a  small  log 
house,  16  X  20  feet,  and  it  was  his  place  of 
residence  until  1892,  when  he  erected  a 
good  frame  dwelling,  one  story  and  a  half 
in  height,  16  x  24  feet  with  an  L,  16  x  20 
feet.  He  also  erected  a  large  barn,  40  x  54 
feet,  with  16  foot  posts,  and  his  farm  com- 
prises eighty  acres  of  land.  In  addition  to  its 
cultivation,  he  is  also  engaged  in  the  lumber 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


business,  and  successfully  manages  both  in- 
terests, being  a  man  of  good  business  and 
executive  abilit}',  energetic  and  progressive. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Nichols  is  a  Democrat, 
a  leader  of  his  party  in  this  section  of  the 
•county.  In  1871,  Jie  was  elected  town 
treasurer,  had  previously  been  town  clerk, 
and  has  since  served  as  town  clerk  and 
town  supervisor.  In  1S93  he  was  again 
elected  treasurer  of  Dupont  township,  and 
is  now  filling  that  position  in  a  creditable 
and  acceptable  manner  with  the  same  fideli- 
ty with  which  he  discharges  every  trust  re- 
posed in  him.  The  cause  of  education  finds 
in  him  a  warm  friend,  and  he  does  all  in  his 
power  for  the  promotion  of  the  schools  of 
this  communit}-.  Both  he  and  his  wife  hold 
■membership  with  the  Catholic  Church. 


EDWARD  CLEARY,  conductor  on  the 
Ashland  division  of  the  Chicago  & 
North  Western  railroad,  with  resi- 
dence at  Antigo,  Langlade  county, 
-was  born  in  Lancaster,  Worcester  Co., 
Mass.,  October  25,  1855,  son  of  Michael 
•Cleary,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  about  the 
year  1827,  son  of  Edward  Cleary,  who  died 
in  Ireland  when  Michael  was  but  ten  years 
of  age,  leaving  a  widow  and  six  children, 
viz. :  Maurice,  Garret,  Edward,  Patrick, 
Michael  and  Ann. 

Michael  Cleary,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  came  to  America  when  twenty 
years  of  age,  or  in  1847,  and  settled  in 
Massachusetts.  Here  he  was  married  to 
TMary  Powers,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1830,  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children — 
Catherine,  William,  Patrick,  John,  Michael, 
Edmond  and  Mary — born  to  Edward  and 
Margaret  (Hayes)  Powers,  the  former  of 
^whom  was  a  farmer  and  fisherman.  In 
1855  the  family  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  Massachusetts  where  the  father 
died  in  1867;  the  mother  passed  away  in 
Appleton,  June  11,  1894,  aged  ninety-eight 
years.  To  Michael  and  Mary  (Powers) 
deary  were  born  eight  children,  viz. : 
Maurice  (who  died  in  1879  at  the  age  of 
eighteen),  Edward.  Michael,  Ellen,  Kather- 
ine  and  Margaret,  and  two  deceased  in 
infancy.      Michael  Cleary,  the  father,  came 


to  Wisconsin,  in  1863,  first  locating  in 
Appleton,  from  which  place  he  moved  soon 
after  to  a  farm  and  returned  to  Appleton 
where,  in  March,  1895,  he  died.  Mrs.  Ellen 
Cleary,  widow  of  Edward  Cleary  and 
mother  of  Michael,  followed  her  sons  to 
America,  and  died  at  Michael's  home  in 
1878. 

Edward  Cleary.  the  subject  proper  of 
this  sketch,  was  given  the  advantages  of  the 
common  schools,  and  remained  at  home  on 
the  farm  with  his  parents  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  He  then  went  into  the 
lumber  woods,  and  worked  there  during  the 
winters  of  four  years,  returning  home  in  the 
summers  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm.  In 
June,  1878,  he  was  engaged  on  the  right  of 
way  for  the  new  railroad,  chopping  ties,  and 
in  the  following  December  commenced 
braking  on  what  was  then  the  Milwaukee, 
Lake  Shore  and  Western  railroad,  now  the 
Ashland  division  of  the  Chicago  &  North 
Western.  He  has  railroaded  ever  since, 
being  one  of  the  oldest  men  on  this  division, 
and  has  been  promoted  from  time  to  time 
until  in  1884  he  was  given  a  passenger  run. 
In  1886  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Antigo. 
and  having  great  faith  in  the  prospects  of 
the  town,  has  done  everything  in  his  power 
to  help  in  building  it  up;  in  1891  he  erected 
a  fine  block,  and  moreover  is  interested  in 
several  other  blocks  here.  He  is  president 
of  the  J.  C.  Lewis  Hardware  Co.,  and  has 
dealt  extensively  in  outside  lands. 

Mr.  Cleary  was  married,  in  1882,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Morrissey,  of  Appleton,  daughter 
of  Patrick  and  Margaret  (Landers)  Morrissey, 
natives  of  Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  making  their  first  New- World 
home  in  Massachusetts  where  they  were 
married.  They  had  a  familj-  of  eight  chil- 
dren: Patrick,  John,  Thomas,  Catherine. 
Ellen,  Margaret,  Johannah  and  Mary  Ann, 
three  of  whom  are  deceased,  viz. :  Patrick, 
Catherine  and  Mary  Ann.  Patrick  was  or- 
dained a  Catholic  priest  in  1875,  and  died 
at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  10,  1892;  John,  who 
was  ordained  a  priest  in  1883,  is  now  pastor 
of  a  congregation  at  Oshkosh;  Thomas  is 
married  and  lives  in  Antigo,  Wis.,  where  he 
is  manager  of  the  Delaglise  estate;  Ellen  is 
a   Sister  of  Charity   at  St.  Agnes  Convent, 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


183 


Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.  The  family  came  to 
this  State  in  1850,  where  the  father  followed 
agricultural  pursuits;  the  mother  died  in 
March,  1885.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cleary  ha\e 
been  born  five  children:  John  E.,  Agnes  M., 
Raymond  \V.,  Emmet  \'.,  and  Aloysius  F. 
In  his  political  predilections  our  subject 
is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  his  adopted 
city  as  supervisor  one  year,  and  alderman 
two  years.  Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Railroad  Conductors  of  America; 
•was  a  delegate  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  in  May, 
1893,  and  a  delegate  to  Atlanta,  Ga. ,  in 
1895,  from  the  lodge  at  Ashland,  Wis.;  he 
was  first  chief  conductor  of  the  lodge  at 
Ashland  in  1SS9,  and  elected  twice  after- 
ward, serving  in  that  incumbency  three  years 
in  all.  In  religious  faith  the  entire  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Cleary  owns  one  of  the  handsomest  homes 
in  the  city  of  Antigo,  and  figures  as  one  of 
the  representative  men  of  the  place.  Being 
public-spirited,  he  is  ever  ready  to  advance 
any  cause  that  he  thinks  will  permanently 
aid  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  cit}'. 
He  is  much  respected  by  all  who  know  him, 
the  more  so  because  he  is  known  to  have 
commenced  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and 
with  no  assistance,  save  his  own  energy  and 
attentiveness  to  business,  worked  himself  up 
to  a  position  of  prominence  and  affluence. 
He  is  justly  proud  of  the  fact  that,  though 
he  has  been  a  railroad  man  nearly  all  of  his 
life,  he  is  not  unfitted  for  other  lines  of  use- 
fulness, and  he  is  counted  one  of  the  prac- 
tical business  men  of  Antigo. 


ERICK  JACOBSON  ISELAND. 
Among  the  energetic  and  progressive 
farmers  of  lola  township,  Waupaca 
county,  is  this  gentleman,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  in  Section  28, 
where  he  has  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
which  he  has  developed  from  its  primitive 
•condition. 

Mr.  Iseland  was  born  in  Norway  in  De- 
cember, 1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  Erick- 
son,  a  farmer  of  moderate  circumstances. 
He  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  grew 
to  adult  age,  and  was  but  two  and  a  half 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death. 


after  which  he  was  reared  by  others.  His 
father  also  died  when  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  thirteen,  leaving  very  little  property. 
His  early  life  was  that  common  to  all  farmer 
boys  in  Norway,  and  his  opportunities  for 
acquiring  an  education  were  quite  limited. 
His  only  home  was  with  the  farmers  for 
whom  he  worked,  but  he  saved  his  wages 
until  he  had  enough  money  to  bring  him  to 
America,  knowing  that  his  chances  of  obtain- 
ing a  home  by  his  own  efforts  in  Norway 
were  iew.  In  company  with  Knute  Erick- 
son,  now  of  lola  township,  Waupaca  county, 
he  in  the  spring  of  1849  left  Skein,  Norway, 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  after  a  voyage  of 
six  weeks  landed  him  on  xAmerican  soil. 

Mr.  Iseland  at  once  came  to  Waukesha 
county.  Wis.,  and  at  the  time  had  $70,  but 
this  all  went  to  pay  doctor  bills.  He  was 
then  employed  as  a  farm  hand,  receiving 
from  $10  to  $15  per  month,  and  remained 
in  that  county  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  concluded  to  come  to  northern  Wis- 
consin. As  many  of  his  countrymen  were 
living  in  Waupaca  county,  he  decided  here 
to  locate.  With  two  others  he  made  the 
trip  in  a  single  wagon.  Knute  Erickson, 
with  whom  he  had  crossed  the  ocean,  was 
then  living  in  lola  township,  and  he  made  a 
temporary  home  with  him  some  three  years. 
He  then  bought  his  present  farm,  which 
comprised  120  acres,  but  he  has  since  sold 
forty  acres  of  it.  The  land  was  then  in  its 
primitive  condition,  mostly  covered  with 
timber  and  scrub  oak,  though  there  was  a 
small  piece  of  natural  prairie.  He  imme- 
diately began  clearing  and  developing  this 
land,  and  erected  a  small  log  house,  the  first 
building  upon  the  place. 

In  lola,  on  Christmas  Day,  1858,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Iseland  and 
Miss  Mary  Johnson,  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  January  i,  1843.  and  a  daughter  of 
Nels  Johnson,  who  was  a  miner  and  com- 
mon laborer  in  his  native  land.  In  the 
spring  of  1853  the  father  brought  his  family 
to  America,  there  being  at  that  time  two 
children — Mary  and  Jens  P.  Nelson.  He 
first  located  in  Chicago,  securing  work  on 
the  railroads  in  Illinois,  but  the  following 
spring  came  to  lola  township,  making  his 
home  on  a  farm  in  Section  33.      He  soon 


iS4 


COMMEMOBATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


after  went  to  Stevens  Point,  where  he  kept 
a  boarding  house  for  a  time,  after  which  he 
returned  to  lola  township  and  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  His  death  occurred 
in  South  Dakota  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years;  his  wife  passed  away  in  lola,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iseland 
began  their  domestic  life  on  his  farm  in  their 
little  shanty,  which  at  that  .time  had  not 
even  a  window,  which  he  bought  later  at 
Stevens  Point.  Their  home  was  brightened 
by  the  birth  of  ten  children:  Annie,  now 
the  wife  of  Carl  Evenson,  of  Wausau,  Wis. ; 
Julia,  who  was  the  wife  of  Andrew  Daniel- 
son,  and  died  September  23,  1891,  at 
Stevens  Point;  Nellie,  wife  of  Hans  Olson, 
of  Hazelhurst,  Wis.;  Julius,  at  home;  Henry, 
a  farm  hand;  Nettie,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen;  Edwin,  of  Hazelhurst,  Wis.; 
Josephine,  a  dress  maker  of  Wausau,  Wis. ; 
and  Gena  and  Lewis,  at  home. 

For  ten  months  Mr.  Iseland  served  his 
adopted  country  as  a  soldier  during  the  Civil 
war,  enlisting  in  the  fall  of  1864  in  Company 
C,  F"orty-fourth  Wis.  V.  I. ,  under  Capt. 
Vaughn,  and  was  mostly  engaged  in  doing 
guard  and  patrol  duty  in  Nashville,  Tenn., 
during  the  winter  of  1864-65.  In  the  spring 
he  went  to  Paducah,  Ky.,  where  he  received 
his  discharge  and  returned  home  in  August, 
1865. 

In  the  early  days  during  some  seasons 
the  crops  were  poor,  and  Mr.  Iseland  would 
then  work  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  rail- 
road, which  was  then  being  constructed,  in 
order  to  support  his  family,  leaving  the 
farm,  where  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  get 
enough  to  live  on  during  a  drought.  All  the 
improvements  now  found  upon  the  place 
have  been  the  work  of  himself  and  sons, 
who  are  industrious,  enterprising  young 
men,  and  his  wife  has  also  proved  a  faithful 
helpmeet.  The  family  holds  a  high  place 
in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  their  fellow 
citizens  which  they  justly  merit.  Mr.  Ise- 
land is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  he  does 
not  care  to  take  an  active  part  in  public 
life,  though  he  cordially  supports  any  meas- 
ure that  will  benefit  the  community  or  State 
at  large.  With  the  Lutheran  Church  of 
Scandinavia,  himself  and  family  hold  mem- 
bership. 


JACOB  STAUB  is  familiarly  known  to 
the  people  of  Scandinavia  township  as 
one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  Waupaca  county. 
He  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  in  the 
village  of  Thalweil,  Canton  of  Zurich,  April 
4,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  Staub,  who 
was  a  farmer  of  ordinary  means,  and  the 
father  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom 
crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  to  the  New 
World. 

Our  subject  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  land,  and  remained  under  the  par- 
ental roof  until  August  16,  1867,  when  he 
left  the  old  home,  determined  to  come  to 
America,  where  he  believed  that  better  op- 
portunities were  afforded  young  men.  At 
Havre,  France,  he  took  passage  on  board 
the  "Guiding  Star,"  which  left  port  on  the 
2 1st  of  August.  His  destination  was  Van- 
Dyne,  Wis.,  where  he  had  acquaintances 
living,  and  near  there  he  obtained  work  as  a 
farm  hand.  At  the  end  of  two  months, 
however,  he  came  to  Helvetia  township, 
Waupaca  county,  and  obtained  employment 
with  J.  H.  Leuthold  with  whom  he  remained 
1  during  the  winter  of  1867-68,  and  then 
worked  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  d(j  in 
order  to  gain  an  honest  living. 
I  In  the  spring  of  1868  the  parents  of  Mr. 
;  Staub  started  from  Switzerland  for  the 
:  United  States,  but  while  cit  route,  the  father 
I  died  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  was  there  buried. 
The  widowed  mother  then  came  on  to  Helve- 
tia township,  and  as  our  subject,  being  the 
oldest  son,  was  regarded  as  the  head  of  the 
family,  he  lived  with  her  until  1872  when  he 
came  to  Scandinavia  township,  where  his 
eldest  sister,  Wilhelmina,  wife  of  Jacob 
Aeberle,  resided.  During  the  summer  he 
rented  a  farm,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
purchased  the  same,  which  was  160  acres 
in  Section  9,  going  in  debt  for  the  whole 
amount — one  thousand  dollars — on  which  he 
had  to  pay  eight  and  ten  per  cent  interest. 
At  Black  Wolf,  Winnebago  Co.,  Wis., 
on  November  14,  1872,  Mr.  Staub  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  Laager,  who  was  born 
January  10,  1854,  in  the  city  of  Mollis, 
Canton  Glarus,  Switzerland,  a  daughter  of 
Nicholas  Laager,  who  was  a  decorator  in  a 
woolen  factory.     When  sixteen  years  of  age 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


i8= 


Mrs.  Staub  came  alone  to  America,  sailing 
from  Havre,  France,  on  the  "Erie,"  and  at 
the  end  of  seventeen  days  landed  at  New 
York,  from  which  city  she  came  to  Oshkosh, 
Wis.  She  had  attended  the  common  schools 
in  her  native  land,  but  never  an  English 
school.  In  Mollis  she  began  work  in  a 
woolen  factory  as  decorator,  saving  her 
money,  to  which  she  added  by  borrowing 
from  her  brothers  and  sisters  until  she  had 
$68,  enough  to  bring  her  to  the  United 
States.  Here  she  worked  as  a  servant  girl 
until  she  could  repay  the  money,  which  re- 
quired a  3'ear  and  a  half's  industrious  labor. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Staub  began  their  domestic 
life  in  a  very  modest  little  home  on  his  farm, 
to  which  he  has  added  until  he  now  owns 
290  acres  in  Scandinavia  township,  and 
eighty  acres  in  Helvetia.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them:  Erick  N. ,  a  farmer, 
born  January  g,  1874;  and  Walter  J.,  at 
home,  born  May  7,   1875. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Staub  is  a  Demo- 
crat, a  stanch  follower  of  the  doctrines  as 
formulated  by  that  party,  but  gives  little  at- 
tention to  political  affairs,  his  time  being 
fully  occupied  by  the  labors  of  his  farm. 
For  the  prosperity  that  has  come  to  him 
through  his  persistent  efforts  and  intelligent 
management,  he  is  greatly  indebted  to  his 
wife,  who  has  assisted  him  by  every  means 
in  her  power.  Their  comfortable  residence 
is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove,  and 
everj'thing  about  the  place  denotes  the  owner 
to  be  a  progressive,  industrious  and  energetic 
man.  He  has  succeeded  in  life  without  the 
help  of  an  education  in  English,  but  has 
observed  closely,  and  thus  prospered.  He 
holds  membership  with  the  Reformed 
Church. 


NA.  COLMAN.  This  gentleman,  one 
of  the  busiest  and  most  prom- 
inent citizens  of  Vilas  county,  is  a 
native  of  Wisconsin,  born  in  Green- 
bush,  Sheboygan  county.  May  4,  i860. 

His  father,  Charles  B.  Colman,  was 
born  February  4,  1822,  in  Warren,  Litch- 
field Co.,  Conn.  The  family  is  of  Eng- 
lish origin,  the  ancestry  being  traced  back 
to  three  brothers  who  came  from   England 


to  America    in  an   early   day,    one  of  them 
making  his  home  in  Warren,    Connecticut. 

Hon.  C.  B.  Colman  received  his  educa- 
tion at  the  Warren  Academy.  After  finish- 
ing his  education  he  taught  school  for  some 
time,  and  in  1S42  started  out  to  see  "the 
West."  He  was  pleased  with  Wisconsin, 
and  took  up  a  homestead  in  Sheboygan 
county,  twenty  miles  west  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan. Thus  he  came  alone  to  Wisconsin 
leaving  father,  mother,  one  brother — Fred- 
rick— and  three  sisters — Lucia,  Sarah  and 
Elizabeth — in  Connecticut.  After  being 
successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
for  some  time,  he  married  Miss  Emma 
Carter,  of  the  same  county,  but  after  a  brief 
married  life  she  died  leaving  an  infant 
daughter,  Orpha  E. 

Mr.  Colman  took  for  a  second  wife  Miss 
Anna  S.  Stoddard,  a  native  of  New  York, 
whose  parents,  Jonathan  and  Phcebe 
(Carter)  Stoddard,  were  natives  of  Canada. 
By  this  marriage  five  children  were  born, 
\\z.:  Florence,  Niles  A.,  Henry  J.,  C. 
Francis  and  Emogene.  The  father  of  N.  A. 
Colman  is  a  stanch  member  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  has  always  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  political  affairs.  He  has  filled 
many  town  and  county  offices,  besides  serv- 
ing as  member  of  the  Assembly  from  She- 
boygan county.  He  is  a  man  of  well-known 
ability  and  mental  activity.  Hon.  C.  B. 
Colman  and  wife  now  make  their  home  in 
Dunn  county,  Wisconsin. 

In  June,  1892,  N.  A.  Colman  was  mar- 
ried at  Eagle  River  to  Isliss  Bessie  B.  Shank, 
who  died  March  8,  1894,  leaving,  a  daugh- 
ter, Bessie  D.,  nine  days  old.  Mrs.  N.  A. 
Colman  was  a  native  of  Michigan,  born,  in 
1874,  in  Osceola  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
Alonzo  M.  and  Essie  Shank,  who  had  four 
children — Cora,  Byron,  Bruce  and  Bessie 
B.  Mr.  Shank  is  a  lumberman  by  occupa- 
tion. 

During  the  youth  and  early  manhood  of 
Mr.  Colman  he  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Sheboygan  county,  attending  the 
schools  of  Greenbush  up  to  the  age  of 
eighteen  when  he  commenced  to  teach  in 
the  district  schools,  continuing  thus  two 
years.  After  this  he  attended  school  at 
Oshkosh,  and  in    the   fall   of    1S84   entered 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  University  of  Wisconsin  at  Madison. 
In  1887  he  entered  the  Law  Department  of 
the  University,  attending  until  June  19, 
1889,  when  he  graduated — being  admitted 
to  practice  in  all  courts. 

Mr.  Colman  educated  himself,  teaching 
and  studying  alternately,  and  while  in  Mad- 
ison was  in  the  office  of  William  F.  \'ilas. 
In  July,  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he 
came  to  Rhinelander,  Oneida  county,  re- 
maining there  four  months  in  the  oflfice  of 
Alban  &  Barnes,  and  on  December  i,  1889, 
opened  a  law  office  at  Eagle  River  under 
the  firm  name  of  Alban,  Barnes  &  Colman. 
This  partnership  continued  two  years, 
Messrs.  Alban  &  Barnes  withdrawing  at  the 
end  of  that  time.  Mr.  Colman  has  since 
practiced  alone,  meeting  with  flattering  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  profession,  a  success 
which  he  well  deserves. 

Like  his  father  before  him,  he  is  public- 
spirited,  and  the  people,  recognizing  in  him 
one  who  would  attend  to  their  interests 
with  all  the  zeal  and  ability  at  his  command, 
have  chosen  him  to  various  offices  of  trust, 
the  duties  of  which  he  has  ever  faithfully 
discharged.  In  1 893  his  assistance  was 
proven  valuable  in  the  work  of  getting  Vilas 
county  set  off  from  Oneida.  His  wide  ac- 
quaintance with  public  men  making  him  a 
strong  ally;  he  spent  much  time  at  Madison, 
and  finally,  with  others  equally  interested, 
succeeded  in  having  the  new  county  of  \'ilas 
formed  and  the  county  seat  fixed  at  Eagle 
River.  On  the  organization  of  the  county 
he  was  made  district  attorney,  resigning 
the  position  of  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Oneida  county  (to  which  he  had  been 
elected  in  1892)  to  accept.  In  the  fall  of 
1894  he  was  elected  district  attorney  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  although  the  county 
otherwise  went  strongly  Republican,  a  com- 
pliment which  he  did   not  fail  to  appreciate. 


M 


.\TTHIAS  ELLINGSON,  who  at 
present  is  living  retired  on  his 
farm  in  New  Hope  township.  Port- 
age county,  was  born  in  Norway, 
June  23,  1838,  a  son  of  Elling  and  Karen 
(Mortonson)  Johnson,  natives  of  the  same 


country,  where  the  father  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, an  occupation  he  made  his  life  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  children,  Mr.  Johnson  emigrat- 
ed to  America,  sailing  from  Christiania  on 
the  "Argo,"  which  dropped  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Quebec  at  the  end  of  seven  weeks, 
and  from  that  cit\'  they  came  immediately 
to  New  Hope  township,  Portage  county, 
making  the  journe\-  by  water,  rail  and 
wagon.  On  his  arrival  the  father  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  wild  land,  on  which  not  a 
tree  had  been  cut  or  an  improvement  of  any 
kind  made.  After  clearing  enough  space  he 
built  a  log  house,  where  the  family  lived 
for  many  years  and  where  his  death  occur- 
red. The  mother  then  sold  that  place  and 
bought  another  home  in  New  Hope  town- 
ship, but  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  Ole. 
The  other  children  of  the  family  besides  our 
subject,  who  is.  the  eldest,  were  John,  a 
farmer  of  Dakota,  who  enlisted  in  the 
Twelfth  \\'is.  V.  I.  during  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  served  throughout  the  strug- 
gle; Christian,  also  a  farmer  of  Dakota; 
Rhoda,  wife  of  Nels  Loberg,  of  New  Hope; 
and  Sina,   deceased  wife  of  John  Johnson. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
land  our  subject  acquired  a  very  good  edu- 
cation, and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. After  coming  to  America  he  hired 
out  as  a  farm  hand,  and  was  also  employed 
for  some  years  in  a  sawmill,  and  in  the 
lumber  woods  near  ilerrill,  Wis.  For  four 
or  five  seasons  before  entering  the  Union 
service  during  the  Civil  war,  he  "ran  on  the 
river."     In  Scandinavia,   Wis.,   August  27, 

1864,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Cohipany 
A,  Forty-second  Wis.  V.  I.,  under  Capt. 
Duncan  McGregor,  and  was  enrolled  for 
one  year's  service.  After  enlistment  he 
went  into  camp  at  Madison,  Wis.,  for  a 
short  time,  whence  he  was  sent  to  Cairo, 
111.,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of 
hostilities,  with  the  e.xception  of  an  e.xpedi- 
tion  he  accompanied  down  to  Neiv  Orleans, 
conveying  prisoners.  At  that  city  they  re- 
mained about  four  days,  when  they  returned 
to  Cairo.      At  Madison,  Wis.,  on    June  20, 

1865,  he  was  honorably  discharged. 

On  returning  to  New  Hope  township 
Mr.  EUingson,  in  company  with  his  brother 


COMMEMORATIVE    BIOORAPEICAL   RECORD. 


187 


Christian,  bought  160  acres  of  land,  of 
which  onl}'  ten  had  been  cleared,  and,  prior 
to  his  brother's  going  to  Dakota,  he  pur- 
chased the  latter's  interest.  His  farm,  which 
is  located  in  Sections  9  and  10,  is  one  of 
the  best  in  the  township,  and  he  has  built 
thereon  a  comfortable  dwelling.  He  now 
makes  his  home  with  the  people  who  have 
rented  his  farm,  as  he  is  living  retired.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  and  is 
one  of  its  most  active  adherents,  though  in 
no  sense  a  politician.  Religiously  he  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church  of  New  Hope,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
highly  esteemed  and  honored  citizens  of  the 
neiirhborhood. 


LYMAN    J.    COOK,     member   of   the 
firm  of  Dickinson  &  Cook,  the  lead- 
ing general  merchants  and  real-estate 
dealers  of  Eagle  River,  Vilas  county, 
is  a  native  of  New  York  State,  born  Septem- 
ber 17,   1850,  in  North  Norwich,  Chenango 
county. 

Lyman  D.  Cook,  father  of  our  subject, 
first  saw  the  light  in  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y., 
being  a  son  of  Joseph  Cook,  who  was  of 
English  descent.  The  latter  was  by  occupa- 
tion a  farmer  and  carpenter,  and  during  the 
war  of  1812  served  as  second  lieutenant. 
In  an  early  day  he  established  a  colony  in 
Chenango  county,  purchasing  a  large  tract 
of  river  flats,  now  part  of  the  "Chenango 
Valley,"  no  little  sport  being  excited  by  his 
investing  in  such  low  land;  but  he  lived  to 
see  his  purchase  become  very  valuable.  He 
and  his  wife  both  died  there,  the  parents  of 
a  numerous  family:  Lyman  D.,  their  son 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  which 
he  made  his  life  vocation.  He  was  twice 
married:  First  to  a  Miss  Fannie  Fisher,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children  who  lived  to 
maturit}-,  viz. :  Egbert,  Alonzo,  Almon, 
Thompson,  Mary,  Olive,  Philenaand  Rachel. 
After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these,  Mr. 
Cook  married  Mary  A.  Bacon,  by  whom  he 
had  one  child — Lyman  J.  This  Mrs.  Cook 
was  a  daughter  of  Horace  and  Mary  (Rom- 
mer)  Bacon,  the  former  of  whom  was  of 
English  descent,  the  latter  of  French,  her 
more   immediate    ancestors,    whose    names 


were  Chevalier,  having  come  over  to  America 
from  France  with  La  Fayette  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  served  as  soldiers 
under  him.  Lyman  D.  Cook  participated 
in  the  Mexican  war.  In  1867  he  came  to 
Wisconsin,  purchasing  a  farm  in  Black  Creek 
township,  Outagamie  county,  whereon  he 
passed  the  rest  of  his  days,  dying  in  1875; 
he  was  a  strong  Democrat  in  his  political 
predilections,  but  voted  for  Lincoln.  The 
widowed  mother,  after  her  husband's  death, 
lived  with  her  son  Lyman  J.  up  to  her 
death,  which  occurred  in  1889. 

The  subject  proper  of  these  lines  was 
reared  on  the  farm,  receiving  his  elementary 
education  at  the  common  schools,  which 
was  supplemented  with  two  terms  at  the 
Union  schools,  and  one  term  at  select  school. 
Early  in  life  he  assisted  materially  in  the 
support  of  his  parents,  employing  himself  at 
both  farming  and  lumbering  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  old,  when  he  went  into  the 
woods  and  for  one  winter  wielded  the  axe  in 
felling  the  trees.  During  the  following 
eleven  years  or  so  he  was  engaged  for  his 
own  account,  alternately  at  farming  in  the 
summers  and  lumbering  in  the  winters, 
which  brings  his  life  history  down  to  1879, 
in  which  year  he  moved  to  Marathon  county, 
and  in  the  village  of  Norrie  built  the  second 
frame  house,  where  he  made  his  home  nearly 
four  years,  conducting  a  general  mercantile 
and  drug  business  in  partnershig  with  George 
P.  Dickinson.  In  the  spring  of  1884  the 
firm  removed  to  Eagle  River,  Vilas  county, 
hauling  their  goods  and  chattels  by  wagon 
from  Three  Lakes,  and  for  some  time  carry- 
ing on  their  business,  which  consisted  of 
general  merchandise,  drugs,  etc.,  in  a  tent, 
to  which,  later,  they  added  real-estate  deal- 
ings. Not  long  afterward  a  postoffice  was 
established  at  Eagle  River,  Mr.  Cook  being 
appointed  the  first  postmaster,  and  holding 
the  position  up  to  the  time  of  Cleveland's 
first  election;  he  had  previously  been  post- 
master at  Norrie,  and  was  filling  the  incum- 
bency at  the  time  of  his  leaving  that  village 
for  Eagle  River.  The  firm  of  Dickinson  & 
Cook  conduct  the  largest  general  store  in 
this  rising,  hustling  place,  and  are  largely 
interested  in  lumbering,  buying  pine  lands 
quite  extensively. 


nSS 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD 


Mr.  Cook  has  been  twice  married,  first 
time  to  Miss  Anna  Eliza  Butler,  who  was 
born  in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  daughter  of  Manara 
and  Sarah  Butler,  natives  of  Ohio,  who 
came  to  Wisconsin  in  an  early  day,  and  who 
had  a  family  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters: 
Daniel  E.,  Nathan  S.,  Dell,  Emma  E., 
Ettie  C.  and  Anna  Eliza.  To  this  marriage 
were  born  three  children:  Grant  D.,  Jay 
B.  ,■  and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  The 
mother  of  these  dying  in  1877,  Mr.  Cook 
married,  for  his  second  wife,  in  1S83,  Miss 
Florence  P.  Thompson,  who  was  born  in 
Maine,  near  the  city  of  Augusta,  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Charlotte  Thompson,  and 
this  union  has  been  blessed  with  five  chil- 
dren: Paul  L. ,  Lawrence  (deceased  at  the 
age  of  seven  yearsj,  Morton,  Mary  and 
Florence. 

In  politics  our  subject  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican; served  as  town  treasurer  of  Eagle 
River  si.\  years,  and  was  chairman  one  year; 
was  active  in  securing  the  organization  of 
Vilas  county,  spending  nearly  an  entire  win- 
ter at  Madison  for  that  purpose.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  and  I.  O. 
O.  F.  Prior  to  embarking  in  mercantile 
pursuits  Mr.  Cook  passed  some  two  years  in 
the  South,  with  the  view  of  locating  there, 
but  not  liking  the  country  returned  to  Wis- 
consin. He  is  one  of  the  most  influential 
business  men  in  the  county,  and  in  a  large 
measure  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  fellow  men. 


ARTHUR    TAYLOR,    a    highly    re- 
spected citizen  of  Rhinelander,  On- 
eida county,  is  a  native  of  England, 
born    in   Ripley,    Derbyshire,    April 
16,    1858,   son    of    Dr.    Percival    and    Eliza 
(Bradley;  Taylor. 

Benjamin  Taylor,  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  postmaster  at  Ripley,  Derbyshire, 
many  years,  and  died  in  1874,  at  the  patri- 
archal age  of  ninety-eight  years,  while  hold- 
ing that  office;  his  wife  lived  to  the  great 
age  of  one  hundred  and  two. 

Percival  Taylor,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  a  graduate  of  medicine  in  England, 
which  profession  he  more  or  less  practiced 
until  within  the  past  few  years.      In  his  na- 


tive land  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Bradley, 
b}'  whom  he  had  ten  children,  named  re- 
spectively: William,  Samuel,  Walter,  Mary, 
Hannah,  Arthur,  Ella,  Anna,  Percival  H. 
(who  died  in  1868)  and  Percy.  In  the  last 
named  }'ear,  in  the  month  of  February,  the 
father  and  two  of  his  sons — Samuel  and 
Walter — crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Canada, 
locating  in  Montreal,  the  rest  of  the  family 
following  them  in  the  month  of  June.  In 
Sept.,  1869,  they  moved  to  Upper  Canada, 
settling  on  a  large  tract  of  land  at  Brace- 
bridge,  Muskoka  District,  Ontario,  and  there 
remaining  until  1882,  in  which  year  they 
came  to  Marinette,  Wis.,  where  thej* 
sojourned  until  1885,  then  returning  to 
Canada,  to  the  old  homestead  in  On- 
tario. In  March,  1891,  Dr.  Taylor  sold 
out  and  he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  thence  to  Austin,  111.,  where  he 
is  now  leading  a  retired  life  after  practicing 
medicine  over  thirty  years.  On  each  of  his 
children's  birthda\'s  he  writes  him  or  her  a 
letter. 

Arthur  Taylor,  whose  name  introduces 
this  sketch,  was  ten  years  old  when  the 
family  left  the  shores  of  Old  England  for 
Canada,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  left 
the  parental  roof  to  begin  "  hustling  "  for 
himself,  working  as  a  farm  hand  in  sum- 
mers, and  for  lumbermen  in  the  woods, 
winters,  occasionally  visiting  the  old  home. 
In  October,  1879,  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  making  his  residence  in  Schoolcraft 
county,  Mich.,  till  April,  1881,  when  he 
and  his  brother,  Walter,  moved  to  Mari- 
nette, Wis.,  and  here  leased  a  hotel;  but 
not  liking  the  business,  Arthur  sold  his  in- 
terest to  his  brother,  and  again  worked  in 
the  lumber  woods.  He  thus  continued  till 
November,  1 887,  at  which  time  he  and  his 
brother  Walter  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  soda  water  in  Marinette;  but  in  Decem- 
ber, 1890,'  our  subject  sold  out,  and  at  once 
coming  to  Rhinelander  purchased  his  pres- 
ent soda-water  plant,  which  he  has  since 
enlarged  to  treble  its  capacity,  having  a 
read}'  sale  for  the  product  in  the  smaller 
towns  within  a  radius  of  sixty  miles. 

On  May  3,  1883,  Mr.  Ta\lor was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Richardson,  who  was  born 
at  Cheboygan,  Mich.,    February    10,    1865, 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


189 


daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Beloit) 
Richardson,  who  had  eight  children,  viz. : 
Maggie,  Joseph,  Wilham,  Addie  and  Eva 
(twins).  Mar}-  E.  and  Harriet  S.  (twins) 
and  Thomas.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor 
were  born  four  children,  only  one  of  whom 
survives — Douglas  A. ;  Henry  died  in  in- 
fancy; Lulu  and  Daphne  died  in  1891,  the 
one  on  December  3,  at  the  age  of  six  j'ears, 
the  other  on  December  6,  aged  four  3-ears. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church  of  Rhinelander,  of 
which  he  is  secretary-treasurer  and  a  trus- 
tee; politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
served  on  the  school  board.  Socially  he 
is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  (Blue 
Lodge),  and  R.  A.  M.,  Royal  Arcanum  and 
Knights  of  Pythias;  in  the  first  named 
Order  he  has  been  secretarj'  of  his  Lodge 
three  years,  and  is  now  filling  the  chair  of 
senior  warden.  He  is  a  wide-awake,  useful 
and  loyal  citizen,  one  of  whom  Oneida 
county  may  well  feel  proud. 


CASPAR  S^^TH,  a  worthy  represent- 
ative of  the  agricultural  interests  of 
Portage  county,  was  born  in  the 
village  of  A'olkershausen,  Bavaria, 
August  21,  1S20,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Barbara  Smith.  The  father  was  also  born 
in  that  village,  and  was  a  well-to-do  farmer; 
the  mother  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Stadten.  In  Church  matters  he  was  promi- 
nent, was  a  highly-esteemed  man,  and  when 
called  to  his  final  rest  in  the  fall  of  1853  his 
death  was  much  lamented.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  ten  years,  when  she  too  departed 
this  life.  Of  the  children:  John  operated 
the  old  homestead  until  his  death;  Eva, 
wife  of  Adam  Burkhart,  died  in  Germany; 
Caspar  is  the  next  in  the  family;  Elizabeth 
is  the  deceased  wife  of  George  Hochrein; 
Maria  M.  is  living  in  Bavaria,  and  is  totally 
blind;  Margaretta  came  to  America  in  1854, 
shortly  after  married  John  Frank,  and  died 
in  London,  Wis.,  in  1890. 

Caspar  Smith  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town  until  thirteen 
years  of  age,  and  then  worked  at  any  em- 
ployment   that    he    could   secure    until    his 


twenty-sixth  year.  In  1846,  he  married 
Margarette  Frank,  a  native  of  Bavaria.  She 
owned  a  farm  in  Volkershausen,  and  thither 
the  young  couple  removed,  but  after  a  year 
sold  out,  preparatory  to  emigrating  to 
America.  The}-  had  three  children  born  in 
America:  George  W.  and  Martha,  who  came 
with  their  parents  to  America,  and  one  that 
died  on  the  vojage.  In  1862,  Mr.  Smith 
took  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel  at  Bremen, 
accompanied  b}-  his  famil}-,  and  after  a  voy- 
age of  forty-seven  days  landed  at  New  York, 
whence  they  proceeded  direct  to  Chicago, 
where  Mr.  Smith  was  employed  as  a  laborer 
for  a  short  time.  He  then  removed  to 
Madison,  Wis.,  where  they  were  all  taken 
ill  with  typhoid  fever  and  the  wife  and 
daughter  died.  Placing  his  son  George  in 
the  care  of  a  family  in  Madison,  Mr.  Smith 
went  to  Waupun,  where  for  three  months 
he  was  employed  on  the  construction  of  the 
prison.  Returning  to  Madison,  he  for  a  time 
worked  in  a  hotel,  and  leaving  that  place 
went  to  Lake  Mills,  where  he  was  employed 
in  various  capacities. 

There,  on  August  13,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  D,  Twenty-ninth  Wis.  V.  I., 
and  was  mustered  into  the  service  on  Sep- 
tember 27.  The  troops  joined  the  Army  of 
the  Southwest,  and  from  the  9th  of  January 
until  the  lOth  of  April  were  engaged  in  vari- 
ous expeditions.  They  were  then  assigned 
to  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps,  aided  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  going  down  the 
river  to  Milliken's  Bend  there  disembarked 
and  marched  to  Perkin's  plantation.  After 
participating  in  the  battle  of  Port  Gibson 
and  man}-  skirmishes,  they  were  stationed 
in  the  rear  of  \'icksburg  and  aided  in  its  cap- 
ture. On  July  5,  the}-  were  ordered  to  Jack- 
son, engaged  in  the  siege  of  that  place  and 
after  its  capture  returned  to  \'icksburg, 
\\'hence  on  August  16,  they  proceeded  down 
the  river,  stopping  at  Natchez  for  a  few 
days.  On  they  went  to  Carroilton,  La., 
and  on  September  15,  proceeded  by  rail  to 
Brashear  City.  From  that  time  until  Janu- 
ary I,  1864,  they  were  with  Gen.  Banks' 
army  in  the  operations  in  Louisiana.  On 
January  5,  they  embarked  on  ocean  steamers 
for  Texas,  and  did  picket  and  out-post  duty 
at    Pass    Cavillo    until  February   18.  when 


rgo 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the}'  returned  to  Algiers  and  started  on  the 
Red  river  campaign  under  Gen.  Banks.  On 
April  8  occurred  the  hotly  contested  battle 
of  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  where  the  Union 
army  was  forced  to  retreat.  This  was  the  first 
time  that  the  Twnety-ninth  had  met  defeat 
since  entering  the  service,  and  had  it  been 
properly  supported  the  catastrophe  would 
not  have  occurred.  The  troops  gradually  fell 
back  to  Alexandria,  where  they  remained 
from  April  25  until  May  14,  doing  picket 
duty.  There  the  Twentj-ninth  was  detailed 
to  help  construct  the  great  Red  river  dam  at 
that  point  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the 
gunboats  over  the  rapids,  and  when  this  was 
completed  they  started  for  Morganza,  where 
they  arrived  May  23.  On  June  15  they 
reached  Carrolton,  La.,  and  thence  were 
ordered  to  Kentucky.  Their  rations  were 
frequently  limited,  they  often  had  no  tents, 
had  poor  clothing,  and  all  the  hardships  of 
war  were  endured  by  them.  Jifr.  Smith  con- 
tracted rheumatism,  but  with  the  exception 
of  a  short  time  when  confined  in  the  hospital 
he  was  always  with  his  regiment,  faithful  to 
every  duty  that  devolved  upon  him.  On 
June  13,  1865,  Mr.  Smith  was  mustered  out 
and  at  once  returned  to  Lake  Mills,  Wis. 
Shortly  afterward  he  came  to  Amherst  town- 
ship. Portage  county,  and  bought  forty  acres 
of  land,  which  he  traded  for  a  house  and  lot 
in  Amherst  Center.  In  October,  1879,  he 
bought  1 10  acres  of  land,  paying  $900  in 
cash,  and  giving  his  home  in  town.  His 
farm  is  located  in  Sections  28  and  29,  Am- 
herst township,  and  90  acres  of  the  tract  are 
cleared  and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
yielding  to  the  owner  a  golden  tribute  in  re- 
turn for  the  care  and  cultivation  he  bestows 
upon  it. 

Mr.  Smith  for  his  second  wife  was  mar- 
ried, at  Lake  Mills,  in  1855,  to  Amelia 
Feemier,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  died 
February  21,  1892.  The  children  by  this 
union  are  as  follows:  Sophia,  wife  of  Ber- 
tram Harvey,  a  farmer  of  Amherst  town- 
ship (they  have  one  child,  Verne);  John  G., 
a  barber  of  Amherst,  who  married  Anna 
Shattuck,  and  has  two  daughters,  Mona  and 
Ruth;  and  Caspar  A.  and  Mary,  both  at 
home.  George  W. ,  Mr.  Smith's  eldest  son, 
married   Miss  Sarah  Wilson,  and   has  four 


sons — DeForest  D. ,  F.    Clifford,  Alfred   G. 
and  Willard  W. 

Prior  to  1861,  Mr.  Smith  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  when  the  Republican  party  upheld 
the  government  during  the  war,  he  joined  its 
ranks  and  with  it  afterward  affiliated.  He 
is  a  member  of  Captain  Eckels  Post,  G.  A. 
R. ,  of  Amherst,  and  is  an  active  member  and 
leading  worker  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  has  met  with  many  reverses  in  life;  but 
through  energy  and  determination,  diligence 
and  capable  management  he  has  attained  an 
enviable  position  among  his  fellow  men,  and 
acquired  a  handsome  competency,  which 
numbers  him  among  the  substantial  citizens 
of  his  adopted  county.  [Since  the  above 
was  written  Mr.  Smith  died  at  his  home  of 
apoplexy  March  21,   1895. 


GEORGE  C.  NEWBY,   as  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Portage  county, 
well  deserves  representation  in  this 
volume.      He  was  born  in  the  town 
ofVaughan,  Canada,    July    5,     1830,    a   son 
of  Thomas  and  Deborah  (West)  Newby. 

His  father  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  emigrated  to  Nova  Scotia, 
where  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  married,  and 
the  two  eldest  children  were  there  born. 
He  then  removed  to  a  farm  near  \'aughan, 
where  his  wife  died  about  185 1.  In  the 
spring  of  1855  he  came  to  Buena  Vista 
township,  Portage  county,  and  purchased 
160  acres  of  government  land  in  Section 
19,  where  his  children  (with  the  exception 
of  two  daughters  who  had  married  and  re- 
mained in  Canada)  joined  him  the  following 
fall.  In  this  county  the  father  subsequent- 
ly married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stewart.  His 
death  occurred  on  the  old  homestead  in 
November,  1877.  His  children,  all  born  of 
the  first  marriage,  were  as  follows:  John, 
deceased,  was  a  farmer  of  Plover,  \\'is. ; 
he  married  Delilah  Upthgrove,  by  whom  he 
had  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  for  his 
second  wife  wedded  Lavina  Vanderwort. 
William,  a  farmer  of  Plover,  Wis.,  mar- 
ried Matilda  Barnett,  now  deceased,  and 
had  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  Ann 
is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Stimmers,  of  Canada. 
George  C.  is  the  next    younger.      Esther   is 


COMMEMORATIVE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


the  deceased  wife  of  Christopher  Hisley 
Thomas,  a  merchant  of  Buena  \'ista,  Wis. 
married  Jane  Brown,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  and  after  her  death  wedded  Mrs. 
Sarah  ^  Russell)  Newman,  widow  of  John 
Newman.  Robert,  a  farmer  of  Idaho,  is 
living  with  his  second  wife.  Mary  Jane  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  Barker,  and  after 
his  death  wedded  William  W'hite,  of  Plover, 
Wis.  Jemima  is  the  wife  of  Jay  Bennett, 
of  Buena  Vista,  W'isconsin. 

Upon  the  home  farm  our  subject  was 
reared,  and  his  educational  advantages  were 
very  limited.  Having  arrived  at  years  of 
maturity,  he  was  married  in  Cayuga,  Haldi- 
mand  Co.,  Canada,  May  lo,  1852,  to  Eliza- 
beth Martha